Metal rings recently excavated from seventh-century settlements in the western part of Mexico were made using the same metallurgical techniques as those used by Ecuadorian artisans before and during that period. These techniques are sufficiently complex to make their independent development in both areas unlikely.Since the people of these two areas were in cultural contact, archaeologists hypothesize that the metallurgical techniques used to make the rings found in Mexico were learned by Mexican artisans from Ecuadorian counterparts.

Which of the following would it be most useful to establish in order to evaluate the archaeologists' hypothesis?

标准答案是: (A) Whether metal objects were traded from Ecuador to western Mexico during the seventh century

我选的是（B）Whether travel between western Mexico and Ecuador in the seventh century would have be primarily by land or by sea

不明白为什么（A）正确而（B）错误。