Why not C?

Hey there, thanks for your post. This is a Cannot Be True question. The correct answer choice must contradict the text of the stimulus. Any answer choice that does not contradict the stimulus text *could be true,* and thus is not the right answer here. Answer choice (C) could be true. It is possible that tree species flourished in the northern Levant during the period when the southern Levant was being abandoned. By contrast, answer choice (D) cannot be true if the statements in the stimulus are true and the archaeologists' hypothesis is correct. This is because answer choice (D) says that there were NO forests in the southern Levant before the period when this area was abandoned. If this was true, then the deforestation of the region would not explain the abandonment of the region, right? Hope this helps. Please let us know if you have any additional questions.