Discussion

Explanation:

The second paragraph states, “…population growth outstripping available resources”. This led to deforestation and soil erosion which ultimately led to environmental degradation. This eliminates option 1.
The last paragraph states “…the Maya peak population numbers were followed swiftly by political and social collapse”. This eliminates option 2.
Option 3 is also mentioned in the passage. The third paragraph states “the third strand consisted of increased fighting, as more and more people fought over fewer resources. Maya warfare, already endemic, peaked just before the collapse.”
Option 4 has been cited as one of the factors. In the third paragraph, “bringing matters to a head was the strand of climate change.”
Option 5 is not mentioned in the passage. The fourth paragraph does state “short-term concerns of the kings and the nobles” but option 5 talks about the ‘Maya population’.
Hence, the correct answer is option 5.

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