#22 - Concept Reference, Must Be True, Author's Perspective

[emilysnoddon]

For this question, I was deciding between answer choices D and E. I felt as though D was incorrect because it prioritizes what the author's opinion by saying "the issues with which writers of women's legal history OUGHT MOST to concern themselves" I felt as though this phrase was too strong and beyond the scope of the passage and therefore chose answer choice E. Can you please point me in the direction where answer choice D is supported and why this phrase is not beyond the scope of the passage. Thank you!!

[Adam Tyson]

I find two areas that support the idea that the author thinks there ought to be more study of women's legal history from the perspective that he describes as lacking. First, early in the first paragraph the author tells us that the dearth (shortage) of such scholarly studies is "a serious deficiency". That tells us that she thinks there should be more, and sets the tone for the rest of the passage, which is critical of and disappointed at that lack.

The other support I find is in the last sentence, where the author tells us that the current state of our knowledge in this area is "fragmentary at best, though the situation is slowly improving." She is again critical of the lack of study, and supportive of a change in the right direction. In other words, more such study is better.

Revisit those claims, coupled with the overall critical tone of the passage, and see if you don't agree that our author would probably say that we ought to have more study concerned with issues related to women's legal history with the perspective that she is describing as lacking.

[emilysnoddon]

I see your points and I actually had underlined both of those parts and took them into consideration. My issue with answer choice D was the word MOST. If the answer choice had said ought to concern themselves with the topic more I would have definitely agreed. I'm just having a hard time seeing where it is justified that this is of the highest importance to warrant the word most. I think I might be misinterpreting the phrase though. Let me know what you think and thanks for your response it did help me see the strength of the criticism.

[Emily Haney-Caron]

Hi Emily,

I see what you're saying, but I don't think "most ought" is too strong here. The author makes it clear that those sources are insufficient for expanding scholarship to so far ignored areas and remedying the "fragmentary" nature of the scholarship. I think the author would agree that the most important areas to study right now are the ones that haven't been studied sufficiently yet, to address that fragmentary state of the knowledge. Does that help?

[ashpine17]

When it comes to these author’s attitude questions is this a must be true because it starts with can be inferred? I’ve been trying to get help on another similar but slightly different question type from the February 1997 exam but no one has responded. That question is also an author’s attitude but it’s worded in this way: it can be inferred that the author is most likely to believe which one of the following. Is that a must be true or most strongly supported?

[Adam Tyson]

"Can be inferred" makes this a stronger Must Be True variant, ashpine17, rather than a softer "most strongly supported" question, although both should be handled in the same way, by reference to the facts found in the text without any outside assumptions or knowledge. And bear in mind that even for a Must Be True question we are still expected to select the best answer of the choices presented. Sometimes you might feel that the best answer is not necessarily true and yet you still must select it because it has more support than any of the other answer choices (which typically have no support at all).