BoththereadingandthelisteningpassagedelveintowhatcausedthecollapseofEgyptianOldKingdom.Significantly,thelisteningcontradictsthereadingmaterialbypresentingthreecounterarguments.First,decentralizationwastobeblamedbythereading.ItassertsthatattheendoftheOldKingdom,powerwasdistributedtolocalgovernors,contributingtorevoltsthatcollapsedtheKingdom.However,thelisteningchallengesthisstatementbyarguingthatrewardsweregiventotheregionalrulers,andthereisnoneedtoagainstthecentralone.Additionally,thecentralarmyplayedapivotalroleinprotectingtheOldKingdomfrombeinginterrupted.Moreover,thereductionofannualrainledtotheagriculturalharvesttodecreasedaswell.TheNileriverflowdiminished,andcropswerenegativelyaffected,storageofthemdroppeddrastically.Fromtheperspectiveofthelistening,diverseplacesinEgyptandsurroundshavemultipleweathersystems,whichmeansthatdroughtoccurringintheeastmaynothappeninthewest.Furthermore,thereisnosolidevidencethatdemonstratestherewerefamines.Finally,disputesamongsonsofthepharaohweresignificant.Theambiguityofsuccessiontriggeredfights.Politicalupheavalsamongfractionsofsonstookplacecontinuously.Thelisteningrefutsthis,highlightingthatgiventhewell-organizedsystemsthattheEgyptiansheld,therewereotherrulersencounteredasimilarsituation,buteventuallycompletedthetransitionwithpeacefromoldkingtothenextgeneration.Consequently,thisisnotareasonabletheory.
