Author Question: According to Stephen Jay Gould, Wheels, like wings, fins, and brains, are exquisite devices for ... (Read 92 times)

shofmannx20 · **on:** Jul 10, 2018

According to Stephen Jay Gould, Wheels, like wings, fins, and brains, are exquisite devices for certain purposes, not signs of intrinsic superiority. Which of the following statements about the use of the wheel in the Middle East is correct?

a. Wheels were never appropriate vehicles in the Middle East and were never used there camels have been used as beasts of burden since before Biblical times.
b. Wheels have always been used in the Middle East, as they are the most appropriate vehicle for traveling across deserts and were first invented there.
c. Wheels were once widespread in the Middle East, but by the 6th century A.D., had been replaced by camels because the Roman roads had deteriorated and the camel was more suitable to the uneven terrain.
d. Camels were once widespread throughout the Middle East during Biblical times, but as civilization advanced, were replaced by vehicles that made use of the wheel.
e. Wheels were never introduced to the Middle East until the modern era. However, they were the first to use trains and other forms of rapid transportation.

Question 2

In Biblical times, chariots and carts were widespread in the Middle East, but by the 6th century, the old Roman roads had deteriorated so much that wheeled vehicles were replaced by camels. This illustrates that the processes of change is sometimes due to:

a. primary innovation.
b. secondary innovation.
c. diffusion.
d. cultural loss.
e. revitalization.