Which of the following events contributed most to increasing international trade for eastern and western europe in the 1990s? a. the formation of new democracies after the fall of the soviet union b. the negotiation of a new military defense treaty across europe c. the adoption of a common language and culture through much of the world d. the rising popularity of traditional folk music and dances within russia

Scientist: cross-sections of stalactites—calcite formations deposited on cave ceilings by seeping water—can reveal annual variations in rainfall in particular areas over hundreds and thousands of years. we often found that when—according to these cross-sections—drought occurred in a particular area, it coincided with the collapse of an ancient society in that area. i hypothesize that drought reduced agricultural productivity in these areas, thereby leaving these societies without the resources needed to handle internal stresses and external threats. which of the following, if true, would most weaken the support for the scientist's hypothesis? a. many droughts indicated in the cross-sections of stalactites do not correspond with the collapse of a society in that area. b. information from the cross-sections of stalactites alone cannot reveal the level of agricultural output in an area at a particular time. c. most of the societies that collapsed during droughts did so when internal power struggles coincided with military raids from neighboring societies. d. most of the societies that collapsed during droughts maintained large stockpiles of food and water at the time of their collapse. e. information from stalactites also suggests that the collapse of some societies coincided with periods of abnormally high rainfall.