|Question 13Verbal

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Pigments give paints and dyes their color. Ocher is a mineral-based pigment used to make several colors, including red. Red ocher gets its color from iron oxide. Pigments can also be plant-based; plant-based pigments contain a high level of carbon. In a 2023 study, archaeologists tested the red pigment on decorated beads made by members of the Natufian culture approximately 15,000 years ago. The test showed that the pigment found on several beads contained no iron but had a high level of carbon. This finding led the researchers to conclude that
Which choice most logically completes the text?
the Natufian beadmakers used plant-based pigments rather than ocher to decorate some of the beads examined in the study.
A
the pigments used by the Natufian beadmakers likely came from plants because ocher was difficult to find.
B
the Natufian beadmakers preferred to use plant-based pigments because they are much brighter than mineral-based pigments are.
C
the Natufian beads examined in the study are the oldest surviving examples of the use of plant-based pigments for decorating beads.
D