Q24

[hyewonkim89]

I got this question right but wanted to make sure I know why (C) is wrong.

I was down to (C) and (D) and (D) was just the perfect answer choice according to the lines 21-22.

Is (C) wrong because the passage doesn't mention anything about the "development of important modern legal ideas and institutions?"

Thanks in advance!

[christine.defenbaugh]

That's exactly right hyewonkim89! Since this is a detail question, we are looking for an answer that is explicitly stated in the passage, or very nearly.

The quantitative studies in line 25 are mentioned as possibly helping to answer "these questions" (line 27). What questions? The ones mentioned just prior in the paragraph! Specifically, all the questions that the treatises/commentaries/statutes are of little help with:

1) how often women were unable to exercise statutory privileges because of intimidation/harassment
2) how often women evaded statutory limitations and
3) how generally applicable law affected women (as compared to men)

hyewonkim89, you are absolutely correct that lines 21-22 support (D) quite directly: quantitative studies can aid in determining how medieval women's lives were really affected by medieval law.


Not the Question to Answer
(A) The 'stated intentions' are mentioned in lines 10-12, and are discernable from the treatises, commentaries, and statutes; thus, they would not be one of the things quantitative studies would need to ferret out.
(B) The unconscious/hidden motives are never mentioned in the passage.
(C) The development of important modern legal ideas and institutions is never mentioned in the passage. Nor is any impact resulting from medieval legal thought concerning women.
(E) While paragraph 2 does introduce the idea that the volume of material is daunting, it cites numbers that refer to the entire body of court materials, not only those that relate to women. Additionally, the notion of 'how best to categorize them' never occurs in the passage.

For detail questions, always refer back to the passage for line reference support for your chosen answer! You may not always find a line reference that directly contradicts a wrong answer, but if the concept is never mentioned or strongly implied, it is still definitively wrong!

Please let me know if you have any additional questions!