In a 1984 book, Claire C, Robertson argued that, before colonialism

Question

In a 1984 book, Claire C. Robertson argued that, before colonialism, age was a more important indicator of status and authority than gender in Ghana and in Africa generally. British colonialism imposed European-style male dominant notions upon more egalitarian local situations to the detriment of women generally, and gender became a defining characteristic that weakened women’s power and authority.

Subsequent  research  in Kenya convinced Robertson that she had overgeneralized about Africa. Before colonialism, gender was more salient in central Kenya than it was in Ghana, although age was still crucial in determining authority. In contrast with Ghana, where women had traded for hundreds of years and achieved legal majority (not unrelated phenomena), the evidence regarding central Kenya indicated that women were legal minors and were sometimes treated as male property, as were European women at that time. Factors like strong patrilinearity and patrilocality, as well as women’s inferior land rights and lesser involvement in trade, made women more dependent on men than was generally the case in Ghana. However, since  age  apparently remained the overriding principle of social organization in central Kenya, some senior women had much authority. Thus, Robertson revised her hypothesis somewhat, arguing that in determining authority in precolonial Africa age was a primary principle that superseded gender to varying degrees depending on the situation.   1 
 1. The primary purpose of the passage is to

(A) present evidence undermining a certain hypothesis
(B) describe a particular position and its subsequent modification
(C) discuss two contrasting viewpoints regarding a particular issue
(D) describe how a social phenomenon varied by region
(E) evaluate an assumption widely held by scholars

2 
 2. The passage indicates that Robertson’s research in Kenya caused her to change her mind regarding which of the following?

(A) Whether age was the prevailing principle of social organization in Kenya before colonialism
(B) Whether gender was the primary determinant of social authority in Africa generally before colonialism
(C) Whether it was only after colonialism that gender became a significant determinant of authority in Kenyan society
(D) Whether age was a crucial factor determining authority in Africa after colonialism
(E) Whether British colonialism imposed European-style male-dominant notions upon local situations in Ghana

3 
 3. The passage suggests that after conducting the research mentioned in highlighted text, but not before, Robertson would have agreed with which of the following about women’s status and authority in Ghana?

(A) Greater land rights and greater involvement in trade made women in precolonial Ghana less dependent on men than were European women at that time.
(B) Colonialism had a greater impact on the status and authority of Ghanaian women than on Kenyan women.
(C) Colonialism had less of an impact on the status and authority of Ghanaian women that it had on the status and authority of other African women.
(D) The relative independence of Ghanaian women prior to colonialism was unique in Africa.
(E) Before colonialism, the status and authority of Ghanaian women was similar to that of Kenyan women.

4 
 4. The author of the passage mentions the status of age as a principle of social organization in precolonial central Kenya in highlighted text most likely in order to

(A) indicate that women’s dependence on men in precolonial Kenya was not absolute 
(B) contrast the situation of senior women to that of less senior women in precolonial Kenyan society
(C) differentiate between the status and authority of precolonial Kenyan women and that of precolonial Ghanaian women
(D) explain why age superseded gender to a greater extent in precolonial Kenya than it did elsewhere in Africa
(E) identify a factor that led Robertson to revise her hypothesis about precolonial Africa

GMATNinja · Accepted Answer

Question #3 asks what Robertson would have agreed with  after  conducting additional research, but would  not  have agreed with  before  conducting that research regarding women's status and authority in Ghana. Before jumping into answer choices, let's examine her ideas from before and after the research in question:

Before the research, Robertson believed that:

In pre-colonial times "age was a more important indicator of status and authority than gender in Ghana and in Africa generally." 
 After colonization, "gender became a defining characteristic that weakened women’s power and authority."

After the research, she believed that:

She had overgeneralized about the role of gender in pre-colonial Africa 
 In Ghana, "women had traded for hundreds of years and achieved legal majority." This aligns with Robertson's previous belief that gender was not as important as age as an indicator of status and authority. 
 However, in pre-colonial Kenya, "women were legal minors and were sometimes treated as male property, as were European women at that time." This  differs  from Robertson's previous views, so she revised her hypothesis to say that gender played a more important role in some African locations before colonization.

Notice that Robertson's beliefs about the role of gender in Ghana did not change substantially from before the research to after it -- in both cases, she thought that gender did not play the most important role in determining status and authority. The significant change in her hypothesis concerned Kenya, where women had less power in pre-colonial times than she had previously thought.

Take another look at answer choice (A):
 
Remember that we are looking for a statement with which Robertson would have disagreed before her additional research, but with which she would have agreed after that research.

As discussed above, even before the additional research Robertson thought that women in Ghana had a higher status than women in Europe before colonization. So even if the specific factors of land rights and involvement in trade are not discussed in the context of her earlier beliefs, we can't say that she would  disagree  with the notion that "women in precolonial Ghana less dependent on men than were European women at that time."

The piece of the passage that you pointed out ("women’s inferior land rights and lesser involvement in trade, made women more dependent on men than was generally the case in Ghana") actually compares women in  Kenya  to women in Ghana. This is a much different comparison than the one in answer choice (A), which compares women in  Europe  to women in Ghana.

Because there is no evidence that Robertson would have disagreed with (A) before her additional research, it is not the correct answer.

Now look at (B):
 
Before completing her additional research, Robertson believed that colonialism "weakened women’s power and authority" in Africa generally. So, she believed that colonialism would have a roughly  equal  impact on Kenyan and Ghanaian women. From this, we know that Robertson would have  disagreed  with (B) before her additional research. So far, so good.

How about after her research? From the discussion above, we know that Robertson's views on the status of women in pre-colonial Ghana did not change. So, her previous belief that women's power and status were weakened after European colonization holds true.

Her understanding of Kenyan society, however, changed substantially -- she learned that even before colonization, in Kenya "women were legal minors and were sometimes treated as male property, as were European women at that time." So, once the Europeans arrived, Kenyan women didn't have much power for the "European-style male dominant notions" to take away -- they were already relatively powerless in their society. This means that colonial rule would have  less  of an impact on the status of Kenyan women than the status of Ghanaian women.

Because Robertson would have disagreed with (B) before her additional research and agreed with it after, (B) is the correct answer to question #3.

I hope that helps!

anairamitch1804 · Answer

In a 1984 book, Claire C. Robertson argued that, before colonialism, age was a more important indicator of status and authority than gender in Ghana and in Africa generally.
Robertson’s hypothesis in determining status and authority- Before colonialism 
AGE > important indicator > GENDER (in Ghana and Africa in general)
British colonialism imposed European-style male-dominant notions upon more egalitarian local situations to the detriment of women generally, and gender became a defining characteristic that weakened womenâ€™s power and authority.
Colonialism- Gender became a defining characteristic.
Subsequent research in Kenya convinced Robertson that she had overgeneralized about Africa. (Q2)
Before colonialism, gender was more salient in central Kenya than it was in Ghana, although age was still crucial in determining authority. In contrast with Ghana, where women had traded for hundreds of years and achieved legal majority (not unrelated phenomena), the evidence regarding central Kenya indicated that women were legal minors and were sometimes treated as male property, as were European women at that time. 
elaborate on the difference of gender domninance bwteeen ghana and kenya
Ghana- women traded and had legal majority
Kenya- women legal minors- treated as male property
Ghana was impacted to a higher degree as women in Kenya had low authority before colonialism too. (Q3)
Factors like strong patrilinearity and patrilocality, as well as womenâ€™s inferior land rights and lesser involvement in trade, made women more dependent on men than was generally the case in Ghana. However, since age apparently remained the overriding principle of social organization in central Kenya, some senior women had much authority. Thus, Robertson revised her hypothesis somewhat, arguing that in determining authority in precolonial Africa age was a primary principle that superseded gender to varying degrees depending on the situation.
Factors leading to women’s dependence on men
Thus she revised her hypothesis after identifying all the stated factors. (Q4)
1)R argued on something,
Subsequent research made R to believe something else,
based on that belief R modifies her hypothesis.
Hence, B is correct. As it clearly depicts that R took a position and subsequent research forced her to change her hypothesis.
2) The passage indicates that Robertsonâ€™s research in Kenya caused her to change her mind regarding which of the following?
Ans- caused her to changer her mind regarding over generalization about Africa. As seen through the passage, women in kenyan society were treated as legal minors and sometimes as male property. This shows the gender played a prominent role in determining authority in kenyan society even before colonialism. 
Since the question mentioned "research in Kenya," we should zero in on the portion of the passage that discusses this research, lines 18-24: 
"Subsequent research in Kenya convinced Robertson that she had overgeneralized about Africa. Before colonialism, gender was more salient in central Kenya than it was in Ghana." 
Compare this with R's initial theory (note that this is conveniently located near the beginning of the passage, in lines 3-7): "Before colonialism, age was a more important indicator of status and authority than gender in Ghana and in Africa generally." 
R has learned that even before colonialism, gender was more important in Kenya than she'd thought it was in Africa generally. This leads us straight to C. 
3)The passage suggests that after conducting the research mentioned in the highlighted text, but not before, Robertson would have agreed with which of the following about womenâ€™s status and authority in Ghana?
Ans- After conducting the research she would have agreed that she over generalized and gender had played different role in ghana and kenya. Women in Ghana were more independent as compared to women in other African countries (see Kenya), so colonialism affected their lives the most, since they went from independent to legal minors. " "In contrast with Ghana, where women had traded for hundreds of years and achieved legal majority (not unrelated phenomena), the evidence regarding central Kenya indicated that women were legal minors". Hence B.
4)The author of the passage mentions the status of age as a principle of social organization in precolonial central Kenya in the highlighted text most likely in order to
Ans- “Thus” she revised her hypothesis after identifying all the stated factors. (Last line). Hence E.

arvind910619 · Answer

All correct 
Time 6 min 
Question 3 Was tough so its worth discussion .

The passage suggests that after conducting the research mentioned in line 18, but not before, Robertson would have agreed with which of the following about women’s status and authority in Ghana?

A. Greater land rights and greater involvement in trade made women in precolonial Ghana less dependent on men than were European women at that time.
B.   Colonialism had a greater impact on the status and authority of Ghanaian women than on Kenyan women.  
C. Colonialism had less of an impact on the status and authority of Ghanaian women that it had on the status and authority of other African women.
D. The relative independence of Ghanaian women prior to colonialism was unique in Africa.
E. Before colonialism, the status and authority of Ghanaian women was similar to that of Kenyan women.

The question asks us to infer what the author would have agreed on after the colonisation of Ghana.Read the following lines from the passage and the answer becomes apparent 
 Subsequent research in 
Kenya convinced Robertson
(20) 
 that she had overgeneralized 
about Africa. Before colonialism,
gender was more salient 
in central Kenya than
it was in Ghana, although age
(25)
was still crucial in determining
authority. In contrast with 
Ghana, where women had 
traded for hundreds of years 
and achieved legal majority
(30)
(not unrelated phenomena), 
the evidence regarding
central Kenya indicated 
that women were legal minors
and were sometimes treated

(35)
as male property, as were 
European women at that time.

vishusahni9 · Answer

even after looking at all the comments in this post, I am still skeptical about E as an OA for #4.

workout  Can you please help with expert advice here ? Even Jarvis being a very reputed member of GMAT club had some trouble so I think 4th requires discussion.

For me Gender was the main factor for R. to revise the content. Age is a secondary factor which just helps in comparing the situation of elder women and as per passage might go, it would be a factor in Ghana also like was is precolonial age.

Because of Gender author had to come back.

Skywalker18 · Answer

4. The author of the passage mentions the status of age as a principle of social organization in precolonial central Kenya in highlighted text most likely in order to

(A) indicate that women’s dependence on men in precolonial Kenya was not absolute 
(B) contrast the situation of senior women to that of less senior women in precolonial Kenyan society
(C) differentiate between the status and authority of precolonial Kenyan women and that of precolonial Ghanaian women
(D) explain why age superseded gender to a greater extent in precolonial Kenya than it did elsewhere in Africa
(E) identify a factor that led Robertson to revise her hypothesis about precolonial Africa

1. In a 1984 book, Claire C. Robertson argued that,  before colonialism, age was a more important indicator of status and authority than gender in Ghana and in Africa generally. 
 
2. Subsequent research in Kenya convinced Robertson that she had overgeneralized about Africa.

3. Since age apparently remained the overriding principle of social organization in central Kenya, some senior women had much authority.  Thus, Robertson revised her hypothesis somewhat , arguing that in determining authority in precolonial Africa age was a primary principle that superseded gender to varying degrees depending on the situation.

Isn't Robertson's position after the revision - "in determining authority in precolonial Africa age was a primary principle that superseded gender to varying degrees depending on the situation" - still the same as her initial position 1 (in 1984 book) or does this revision refer to change with respect to point 2 ?

AjiteshArun  ,  GMATNinja  ,  egmat  ,  RonPurewal  ,  DmitryFarber  ,  MagooshExpert  ,  ccooley  ,  ChiranjeevSingh ,  GMATGuruNY  ,  VeritasKarishma  , other experts-- please enlighten

GMATNinja · Answer

Thanks for all of the thoughtful detail here,  Skywalker18 ! Always good to see your thought process.

To answer your question,  no.  Robertson's position after the revision states that age superseded gender  to varying degrees depending on the situation . In other words, Robertson made her argument more nuanced than it was before. This isn't a dramatic revision to Robertson's previous argument, but it is still an explicit change.

Recall what choice (E) says:

According to this choice, the status of age was most likely mentioned in order to identify  a  factor that led Robertson to revise the hypothesis. Even if age is a secondary factor, it's still  a  factor that led to the revision.

The second paragraph is structured to show Robertson re-considering her prior argument in more than one way, and her revision was influenced by more than one factor. And let's not forget to evaluate all of our other choices:

The author never stated that women's dependence on men in precolonial Kenya was absolute in the first place. So why would the author need to indicate that women's dependence was  not  absolute? Choice (A) veers away from what the author is actually writing and what Robertson was actually thinking about. (A) isn't as strong as (E), so we'll eliminate it.

This group-to-group comparison is nowhere in the portion of the passage being highlighted. Eliminate (B).

This is another comparison that the highlighted text doesn't point to at all. Eliminate (C).

The explanation for this difference is nowhere to be found in the passage. Eliminate (D).

(E) remains the best answer choice, with (A) a distant but reject-able second.

I hope this helps!

jawele · Answer

3. The passage suggests that after conducting the research mentioned in highlighted text, but not before, Robertson would have agreed with which of the following about women’s status and authority in Ghana?
(A) Greater land rights and greater involvement in trade made women in precolonial Ghana less dependent on men than were European women at that time.
(B) Colonialism had a greater impact on the status and authority of Ghanaian women than on Kenyan women.

Relevant text: <...> the evidence regarding central Kenya indicated that  women were legal minors and were sometimes treated as male property ,   as were European women at that time  . Factors like strong patrilinearity and patrilocality, as well as women’s  inferior land rights and lesser involvement in trade ,   made women more dependent on men than was generally the case in Ghana  .

Could anybody please explain what's wrong with A in Q3? I highlighted the portions of the text that made me pick A. As the situation of women in Europe was a lot similar to that of women in Kenya, I supposed that it was reasonable to come to such conclusion. Does A provide a stretched idea because we know only that women in Europe were legal minors and were sometimes treated as male property, but we know almost nothing about their land rights and involvement in trade?

Thanks

u1983   GMATNinja   SajjadAhmad   workout   GMATNinja Two  Gnpth

Sumi1010 · Answer

GMATNinja

Read your wonderful explanations on Qn 4-  the passage mentions the status of age most likely to?? 
I am sorry but I still am not convinced how  E is better than A.

(E) identify a factor that led Robertson to revise her hypothesis about precolonial Africa
You wrote -  According to this choice, the status of age was most likely mentioned in order to identify a factor that led Robertson to revise the hypothesis.

(A) indicate that women’s dependence on men in precolonial Kenya was not absolute
You wrote -  The author never stated that women's dependence on men in precolonial Kenya was absolute in the first place. So why would the author need to indicate that women's dependence was not absolute?

The passage says : 
Subsequent research in Kenya...Before colonialism, gender was more salient in central Kenya..although age was still crucial....Factors like... However, since age apparently remained the overriding principle of social organization in central Kenya, some senior women had much authority.   Thus, Robertson revised her hypothesis.
 
My understandings :
1.
 The age was a crucial factor in Kenya before colonialism ( but not as much as gender was). Why someone will talk about less crucial factor here? - Just to showcase some reservation on general scenario. Reference of age does the same. It shows that the gender was not absolute determiner and women got some power because of age. 
In the last sentence " Thus ....revised her hypothesis" of passage, " Thus" responds to what has been noticed ( from research) in the 2nd paragraph and not just to the sentence prior to it.

2.
One more note : If I erase the "However, since age apparently remained the overriding principle of social organization in central Kenya, some senior women had much authority" . Does it change anything in final conclusion? 
 Before colonialism, gender was more salient in central Kenya --> Thus, Robertson revised her hypothesis.

I don't see any difference. Request you to help.

GMATNinja · Answer

In your point #1, you ask, "Why someone will talk about less crucial factor here?"

We were not asked to consider why "someone" would raise the issue of age. We were asked why  the author  raised the issue of age  in the context of this passage . We have the choose the answer that's most reflected by the passage, NOT the answer that we think would generally make the most sense.

So let's step back and refresh on the passage itself. The purpose of the second paragraph is to explain how and why Robertson revised her hypothesis. Subsequent research about precolonial Ghana and Kenya convinced Robertson that she had overgeneralized, and the role of age in central Kenya is raised as one of the factors that led to Robertson's revision.

Choice (E) fits perfectly into the structure and purpose of the paragraph.

Now, in your interpretation of choice (A), you write, "It shows that the gender was not absolute determiner and women got some power because of age." But this is not what choice (A) says:

Choice (A) states that the author is trying to indicate that  women's dependence on men  was not absolute. This is NOT the same as trying to indicate that gender wasn't the absolute determinant of women's greater power in Kenya.

And getting back to the question we're trying to answer... how would choice (A) fit into the passage itself?

Well, it doesn't. As I pointed out earlier, the author never states that women's dependence on men was absolute. In fact, the author explicitly states that women were "more dependent on men than generally was the case in Ghana." The issue of dependence is raised to contrast the treatment of women in two countries and ultimately to help explain why Robertson revised her hypothesis about precolonial Africa — NOT to support a conclusion about whether or not women absolutely depended on men in precolonial Kenya.

Choice (A) sounds sensible, but it doesn't fit the purpose of the paragraph or reflect the goal of the author in writing this passage.

(E) remains a much better answer to the question we were asked, and that's why we keep (E) and eliminate (A).

I hope this helps!

mSKR · Answer

What did she change: 
 Subsequent research in Kenya convinced Robertson that she had overgeneralized about Africa. 
What was overgeneralization?
 Before colonialism, gender was more salient in central Kenya than it was in Ghana, although age was still crucial in determining authority.
Robertson revised her hypothesis somewhat, arguing that in determining authority in precolonial Africa age was a primary principle that superseded gender to varying degrees depending on the situation.

In summary, she updated that :
Before given: Age + gender was important factor in Kenya
She assumed: Only gender important than age after colonialism
Actually : Age is also important ;

In summary, Gender is not as important as she imagined

A, B and E are easy to eliminate

(A) Whether age was the prevailing principle of social organization in Kenya  before colonialism 
She updated her hypothesis after colonialism

(B) Whether gender was the primary determinant of social authority  in Africa  generally  before colonialism 
Whether gender was the primary determinant of social authority in KENYA generally AFTER colonialism

(E) Whether British colonialism imposed European-style male-dominant notions upon local situations in Ghana
She has no doubt that British colonialism imposed European-style male-dominant notions upon local situations in Ghana

Confused between C and D. I choose D but not C. 
Please help to clarify the doubt
(C) Whether it was only after colonialism that gender became a significant determinant of authority in  Kenyan society 
Before colonialism, gender was more salient in central Kenya than it was in Ghana, although age was still crucial in determining authority.
She thought gender has become dominant but actually gender was important in Kenya even before colonialism. 
I think , some point is missed . please help  GMATNinja   AndrewN   VeritasKarishma

(D) Whether age was a crucial factor determining authority in Africa after colonialism
Whether age was crucial even after colonialism. That’s what she updated. yes age is still important after colonialism . 
I think , D should be answer.

I know I am wrong . please help to identify where did i falter.

thanks in advance!

Michele4 · Answer

GMATNinja   IanStewart   GMATGuruNY  In Q2 I am really having a hard time eliminating Answer choice A, I can't find anything that contradicts it. Can you please help me? This is a really tough RC

GMATGuruNY · Answer

2. The passage indicates that Robertson’s research in Kenya caused her to change her mind regarding which of the following?

(A) Whether age was the prevailing principle of social organization in Kenya before colonialism

In paragraph 1, Robertson's original argument:
 Before colonialism, age was a more important indicator of status and authority...in Africa. 
According to paragraph 2, Robertson's research revealed the following:
 Age apparently remained the overriding principle of social organization in central Kenya .
Here, the usage of  remained  indicates that age was important not only AFTER colonialism but also BEFORE colonialism, with the result that age REMAINED important.
Thus, Robertson did NOT change her mind about the importance of age before colonialism.
Both in her original argument and after her research, Robertson considered age  the overriding principle .
Eliminate A.

AndrewN · Answer

Age was not just a  crucial factor ,  mSKR , but THE most crucial factor, according to Robertson, in determining authority in Africa either before or after colonialism. I think you could look at the same two lines from the passage that  GMATGuruNY  has quoted just above in response to (A) to see that (D) fails for the same reason.

- Andrew

gmatimothy · Answer

GMATNinja

Hey Charles! Thanks for the awesome explanation. I just wanted to clarify a couple of things. I was choosing between (B) and (E) and chose (B) because the passage says "senior women had much authority." This phrase made me think "much authority vs. whom"? And then I went back back just a sentence: the author talks about how women (implied less senior) were inferior to men. This sequencing made me lean towards (B). And now on to my thought process of eliminating (E) -

For (E), the word, "led" made me walk away from this choice. I viewed "age" as one of the factors that involve the revision, but thought that "gender" is the main factor that actually "led" Robertson to revise her hypothesis. Her revised hypothesis still holds that age is the primary factor so no change there, right?

Reading your explanation, I now understand why (E) is correct - but unsure if I can pick this answer on the actual test day - do you have any advice after reading my thought process when I first solved this problem? Thanks!

GMATNinja · Answer

Question 4 
 
Let's start by considering the purpose of each paragraph:

Purpose of Paragraph 1: To present Robertson's argument that "age was a more important indicator of status and authority than gender in Ghana and in Africa generally."   Purpose of Paragraph 2: To show how "subsequent research" led Robertson to revise her hypothesis about authority and gender in Africa.

Let's now consider (B):

Essentially, this question is asking us to identify the author's  purpose  in mentioning "the status of age as a principle of social organization" in Kenya. In other words, why did the author mention this detail? How does it function in relation to the author's overall purpose?

As you suggest, the author definitely contrasts the "situation of senior women to that of less senior women." But the author doesn't mention age  simply  to draw this contrast. Rather, age is mentioned in order to flesh out Robertson's reasons for revising her hypothesis.

Initially, she'd believed that "age was a more important indicator of status and authority than gender" in Africa generally. However, the fact that non-senior women in Kenya were worse off than women in Ghana led her to change her thinking. At the same time, senior women in Kenya still had "much authority." So ultimately, she only revised her hypothesis "somewhat," since senior Kenyan women still had "much authority."

Overall, age isn't mentioned simply to make a point about Kenyan society, but to develop the author's discussion of why Robertson revised her hypothesis. For that reason, (B) is incorrect.

Let's now consider (E):

You're correct that age is  only one  of the factors that led Robertson to revise her hypothesis, but that's good enough for this answer choice. Notice that (E) doesn't describe age as the "main factor" or the "only factor," but simply "a factor."

Since the "status of age as a principle of social organization in precolonial central Kenya" is  one  of the factors that led Robertson to revise her hypothesis, (E) is correct.

I hope that helps!

Rickooreo · Answer

Can you please help me understand where I am going wrong

A. indicate that women???s dependence on men in precolonial Kenya was not absolute

>Exactly ??? the portion is said with relevance to the situation in Kenya ??? after mentioning how women were already gender wise discriminated against at certain instances, the author mentions the highlighted portion to show indicate that age still had enough influence to get some elder women independent and with much authority ??? CORRECT

B. contrast the situation of senior women to that of less senior women in precolonial 
Kenyan society

>Age being the overriding principle does little to contrast the situation of the two groups mentioned in the answer option

C. differentiate between the status and authority of precolonial Kenyan women and that 
of precolonial Ghanaian women

>whatever the highlighted portion says is true for both Ghanaian and Kenyan women ??? thus there is no differentiation as such

D. explain why age superseded gender to a greater extent in precolonial Kenya than it did elsewhere in Africa

>Kenya is never compared with places elsewhere in Africa

E. identify a factor that led Robertson to revise her hypothesis about precolonial Africa

>age was never a factor that led her to revise her stance, it was relative influence of 
Gender in Ghana and Kenya

RonTargetTestPrep · Answer

First, a quick rundown of this problem.

According to the passage, Ms. Robertson's INITIAL hypothesis had two parts:
• Before British colonization, African social structures were more heavily influenced by age distinctions than by the sex distinction.
• After British colonization, it was the other way around.

The blurb about age in the second paragraph, though, says...
 age apparently remained the overriding principle of social organization in central Kenya 
In other words, age was more influential than sex in Kenyan social structure, even after the British made Kenya a colony.
This  directly contravenes Ms. Robertson's original hypothesis , so, it must have been a reason to revise that hypothesis to allow for the opposite in some instances.

RonTargetTestPrep · Answer

Now, to address your questions

Remember—Questions about the  function of some element  (sentence, word/phrase/concept, etc) are about  HOW THAT ELEMENT FITS INTO THE PASSAGE AS A WHOLE .

I briefly summarized this passage in the post above. Please note that the entire passage fundamentally ••IS•• about Ms. Robertson's old hypothesis (and how she altered it in response to new evidence)—but NOT AT ALL about women's dependence on men (an idea that is not mentioned anywhere in the passage at all).

For choice A to be correct, the author would actually need to have a reason to point out explicitly that "women's dependence on men in Kenya was not absolute"!
The only possible context in which that would make sense would have some earlier statement(s) that might make the reader think women WERE absolutely dependent on men, thus necessitating a counterpoint like what choice A describes.
In this context, though, that's just irrelevant nonsense.

There's also the problem of the word "absolute", which makes this choice even further removed from anything that happens in the passage. The only quantification of women's dependence on men in this passage is the  relative comparison  in the immediately preceding sentence—MORE dependent vs. LESS dependent. There's nothing about absolute dependence. (This observation alone would be grounds for elimination, even without the more general insight about function problems above.)

RonTargetTestPrep · Answer

...but, relative to WHAT? (Relative to  age , as it turns out. The theme of the passage is the relative importance of AGE vs. SEX in structuring African societies.

The point of this observation (the one called out for problem 4) is that "senior women" DID have some significant power of their own—meaning that  "senior"  (which corresponds to HAVING power, in an age-based social structure)  was more important than "woman"  (which would correspond to NOT having power, in a sex-based social structure).
In other words, this finding served as evidence that age >>> sex in post-colonial Kenya, an observation that forced Ms. Robertson to revise her original hypothesis (which had predicted that the opposite would obtain).

In a 1984 book, Claire C, Robertson argued that, before colonialism

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

In a 1984 book, Claire C, Robertson argued that, before colonialism

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