In colonial Connecticut between 1670 and 1719, women participated in

Question

In colonial Connecticut between 1670 and 1719, women participated in one of every six civil cases, the vast majority of which were debt related. Women’s participation dropped to one in ten cases after 1719, and to one in twenty by the 1770’s. However, as Cornelia Hughes Dayton notes in Women Before the Bar: Gender, Law, and Society in Connecticut, 1639-1789, these statistics are somewhat deceptive: in fact, both the absolute numbers and the percentage of adult women participating in civil cases grew steadily throughout the eighteenth century, but the legal activity of men also increased dramatically, and at a much faster rate. Single, married, and widowed women continued to pursue their own and their husbands’ debtors through legal action much as they had done in the previous century, but despite this continuity, their place in the legal system shifted dramatically. Men’s commercial interests and credit networks became increasingly far-flung, owing in part to the ability of creditors to buy and sell promissory notes (legal promises to pay debts). At the same time, women’s networks of credit and debt remained primarily local and personal. Dayton contends that, although still performing crucial economic services in their communities—services that contributed to the commercialization of the colonial economy—women remained for the most part outside the new economic and legal culture of the eighteenth century.   1 
 1. The passage is primarily concerned with

(A) reporting an author’s view of a phenomenon
(B) disputing the reasons usually given for an unexpected change
(C) evaluating the conclusions reached by an author
(D) assessing the impact of certain legal decisions
(E) defending a controversial point of view

2 
 2. According to the passage, compared with women in eighteenth-century Connecticut, men were

(A) more likely to rely on credit and go into debt
(B) more likely to pursue their families’ debtors
(C) more likely to participate in economic transactions outside their own communities
(D) less likely to perform economic services in their own communities.
(E) less likely to participate in civil cases that were not debt-related.

3 
 3. The passage suggests that which of the following best compares the economic concerns of women with those of men toward the close of the eighteenth Century in colonial Connecticut?

(A) Both men and women had more economic responsibilities at the end of the century than they had had at the beginning of the century.
(B) Women’s economic activities had become less varied by the end of the century; men’s economic activities had become more varied.
(C) Women’s economic activities at the end of the century were similar to their activities at the beginning; men’s economic activities changed considerably.
(D) Women’s economic concerns at the end of the century were primarily familial; men’s economic concerns were primarily political.
(E) Women’s economic concerns at the end of the century were primarily personal; men’s economic needs were primarily familial.

hellraiser06 · Accepted Answer

ACC IMO..

Reasons:

25 The passage is primarily concerned with
 A .  reporting an author’s view of a phenomenon  Bingo...... Only one theory presented and explained. Neither supported by the passage nor criticised.  
B. disputing the reasons usually given for an
unexpected change (Is there any other reason given? No. Only one reason is eexplained thru out)
C. evaluating the conclusions reached by an
author (Is the passage trying to have an opinion abt the authors POV? No. It just mentions the name of the author and her ideologies and runs with it)
D. assessing the impact of certain legal
decisions. (Out of scope)
E. defending a controversial point of view (No other POV mentioned, so theres no question of defending or evaluating other opinion)

Q26
According to the passage, compared with women
in eighteenth-century Connecticut, men were
A. more likely to rely on credit and go into debt ( Where is it mentioned that MOST men would do this. Some will, but how many wont? So OOS)
B. more likely to pursue their families’ debtors (Exact opposite of what the author is trying to say)
   C. more likely to participate in economic transactions
outside their own communities  Bingo........As is clear from lines 27 to 37, women got involved with personal transactions and men with transactions outside their community)  
D. less likely to perform economic services 
in their own communities. (Women are more likely to do this does not mean that men are less likely to do the same thing, according the passage. Might be true, might be not, not the best answer)
E. less likely to participate in civil cases that
were not debt-related. (Whhhhhaaaaa!!!!!! Totally OOS)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q27
The passage suggests that which of the following
best compares the economic concerns of women
with those of men toward the close of the eighteenth
Century in colonial Connecticut?
(A)Both men and women had more economic
responsibilities at the end of the century
than they had had at the beginning of the
century. (True, but not the best answer, coz its not the primary reason why we are reading this passage)
(B)Women’s economic activities had become
less varied by the end of the century;
men’s economic activities had become
more varied. (Womens activities were same, NOT  less . So I striked it out)
 (C ) Women’s economic activities at the end of
the century were similar to their activities
at the beginning; men’s economic activities
changed considerably. .... Right on the mark. Women were doing personal thing in the beginning and kept doing the same during the end of the century too. Men, on the other hand, grew up!!!!!..lol)  (D)Women’s economic concerns at the end of
the century were primarily familial; men’s
economic concerns were primarily political. (Where does it say political!!!!)
(E)Women’s economic concerns at the end of
the century were primarily personal; men’s
economic needs were primarily familial (Men's -> Primarily familial!!!!! No ****..... Just wrong...)

GMATNinja · Answer

Take a look at the exact wording of question #3:
 
The question asks about the  "economic concerns"  of women and men, which is different than the participation of these groups in civil cases.

Here is what the passage says about the economic concerns of women and men at the end of the eighteenth century:
 
From this, we know that economic activity for men increased with the rise of promissory notes, while economic activity for women remained stable because their networks of credit and debt remained local. This contradicts the idea that "both men and women had more economic responsibilities at the end of the century than they had had at the beginning of the century." For this reason, (A) is out.

I hope that helps!

mallya12 · Answer

GMATNinja ,  workout ,  GMATNinjaTwo ,  u1983 ,  SajjadAhmad ,  Gnpth

3. The passage suggests that which of the following best compares the economic concerns of women with those of men toward the close of the eighteenth Century in colonial Connecticut?

(A) Both men and women had more economic responsibilities at the end of the century than they had had at the beginning of the century.
(B) Women’s economic activities had become less varied by the end of the century; men’s economic activities had become more varied.
(C) Women’s economic activities at the end of the century were similar to their activities at the beginning; men’s economic activities changed considerably.
(D) Women’s economic concerns at the end of the century were primarily familial; men’s economic concerns were primarily political.
(E) Women’s economic concerns at the end of the century were primarily personal; men’s economic needs were primarily familial.

I understand C is right. Confused with A. Please explain why A is wrong?
"Both the absolute numbers and the percentage of adult women participating in civil cases grew steadily throughout the eighteenth century, but the legal activity of men also increased dramatically, and at a much faster rate." I chose A because I thought women participating are increasing.

yunbao · Answer

For the first question, A）says that it reports an author's view of a phenomenon, but it seems to me that the passage is reporting Dayton's view. Besides, most part of the passage is stating Dayton's work, and explains his logic, which is the legal decision that creditors can buy or sell promissory notes, a decision that splits men and women apart. That's how I land on D). Can someone help me here? Thanks.

GMATNinja · Answer

The "author" referred to in (A)  is  Cornelia Hughes Dayton -- you are correct that the passage reports on her view, so this is actually a point in favor of answer choice (A)!

Take another look at (D):
 
Promissory notes are defined in the passage as "legal promises to pay debts." Does this make them legal  decisions?  The connection there is shaky.

More to the point, the question asks about the primary purpose of the passage, which is broader than assessing the impact of promissory notes. Dayton explores the reasons behind a perceived drop in women's participation in civil cases over a certain time period. She argues that women's participation did not actually decrease, but rather men's participation greatly increased. This increase can be attributed  "in part"  to promissory notes. So, promissory notes are just one element that Dayton uses to explain an overall phenomenon.

This is more accurately expressed in answer choice (A), "reporting an author’s view of a phenomenon." (A) is the correct answer.

I hope that helps!

ballest127 · Answer

Hi Experts,

Why in Q1, C is incorrect?

Also, I cannot clearly interpret the statement: 
"However, as Cornelia Hughes Dayton notes in Women Before the Bar: Gender, Law, and Society in Connecticut, 1639-1789, these statistics are somewhat deceptive:"

I'm not sure who between  "Cornelia Hughes Dayton"  or  "the author of the passage"  express the view that  "these statistics are somewhat deceptive"

Please help 
Thank you.

CrackverbalGMAT · Answer

Hi"as Cornelia Hughes Dayton notes in Women Before the Bar: Gender, Law, and Society in Connecticut, 1639-1789, these statistics are somewhat deceptive

Q1, option (C) states: evaluating the conclusions reached by an author

"Evaluating" necessarily requires an assessment of the pros and cons of something, and sometimes a final view on whether it is good/bad/right/wrong etc. The "author" referred to in this option can only be Cornelia Hughes Dayton. The passage does not present any assessment of whether the points made by Dayton are right or wrong, or about the pros and cons of what she says. It merely reports what she says. Hence, this passage cannot be considered an "evaluation" and option (C) cannot be the right answer.

As to your second question, the passage clearly states: "as Cornelia Hughes Dayton notes...these statistics are somewhat deceptive". Therefore, that view is expressed by Dayton.

Hope this helps.

plaverbach · Answer

Q3: how could I know that  Women???s economic activities at the end of the century were similar to their activities at the beginning ; men???s economic activities changed considerably.

bM22 · Answer

Hi  plaverbach ,

C for Question 3 can be inferred from the lines: "the absolute numbers and the percentage of adult women participating in civil cases grew steadily throughout the eighteenth century, but the legal activity of men also increased dramatically, and at a much faster rate.  Single, married, and widowed women continued to pursue their own and their husbands’ debtors through legal action much as they had done in the previous century,  but despite this continuity, their place in the legal system shifted dramatically.  Men’s commercial interests and credit networks became increasingly far-flung, owing in part to the ability of creditors to buy and sell promissory notes (legal promises to pay debts). At the same time, women’s networks of credit and debt remained primarily local and personal. "

The highlighted part above implies that women's economic activities at the end of the century were similar to their activities at the beginning compared to men's economic activity.

Hope This Helps.
Thanks.

anshul0130 · Answer

VeritasKarishma   GMATNinja  - Can you please explain why option B is incorrect for Q # 3 ?

Thanks,
Anshul P

KarishmaB · Answer

3. The passage suggests that which of the following best compares the economic concerns of women with those of men toward the close of the eighteenth Century in colonial Connecticut?

(B) Women’s economic activities had become less varied by the end of the century; men’s economic activities had become more varied.

Women's economic activities did not become less varied. They stayed the same.

both the absolute numbers and the percentage of adult women participating in civil cases grew steadily throughout the eighteenth century, but the legal activity of men also increased dramatically, and at a much faster rate. Single, married, and widowed women continued to pursue their own and their husbands’ debtors through legal action much as they had done in the previous century, but despite this continuity, their place in the legal system shifted dramatically. Men’s commercial interests and credit networks became increasingly far-flung,..

So women's place shifted because men's activities increased at a fast pace.

(C) Women’s economic activities at the end of the century were similar to their activities at the beginning; men’s economic activities changed considerably.

Correct.

Answer (C)

faat99 · Answer

Surprisingly no one asked about Q2, According to the passage, compared with women in eighteenth-century Connecticut, men were.

Between A and C, I don't understand why C is correct? Appreciate any insights. My logic below:

1. compared to women's, men's commercial interest and credit network became far-flung, ability to trade promissory notes implying more debt
2. there is no mentioning of men's participation in/outside their community. Only women's is mentioned. (arguably you can infer, but to me A is a more definitive answer)

GMATNinja · Answer

Question 2 
 
The passage tells us that "men’s commercial interests and credit networks became increasingly  far-flung."  On the other hand, "women’s networks of credit and debt remained  primarily local  and personal."

Notice the contrast drawn between women's credit networks, which were  primarily local , and men's credit networks, which were  far flung . So, women's credit networks were nearby, whereas men's credit networks were more spread out.

Let's now take a look at answer choice (A):

This passage definitely contrasts the locations of men's and women's credit networks (women's were local, men's were far-flung). But it doesn't draw a contrast between  how much  they used credit, or  how often  they went into debt. That's why (A) is wrong.

Let's take a look at (C):

This is directly supported by the passage -- in contrast to men's credit networks, which were far-flung, women's were primarily local. And so (C) is correct.

I hope that helps!

Engineer1 · Answer

GMATNinja   KarishmaB   MartyMurray  Thank you in advance for your response.
Question 1 in the passage.

Okay, now is A correct because it says "an" author's (Dayton) instead of "the" author's (author of the passage) ? Is this a trap to be aware of? If so, I completely missed this while I was reading through the answer choices.
The author of the passage presents a fact / evidence that the women's participation gradually dropped after 1719 (1/10. 1/20 etc.). However, the author then mentions about Dayton who refutes this data and provides counter premise (different factor) why the percentage and number are deceptive.  "...in fact, both the absolute numbers and the percentage of adult women participating in civil cases grew steadily throughout the eighteenth century, but the legal activity of men also increased dramatically, and at a much faster rate..."

At first glance, I was stuck between A and C and unfortunately chose C. Is C incorrect because the author of the passage never reached a conclusion, but provided evidence? And also, if "an" author is Dayton, definitely Dayton's conclusion were not evaluated, but Dayton evaluated the data presented in the beginning of the passage. So, incorrect.

C. evaluating the conclusions reached by an author

MartyMurray · Answer

In question 1, we could consider the fact that choice (A) is about an author other than the author of the passage a type of trap. It's at least a fact that we need to pick up on.

(C) is incorrect because the author of the passage does not "evaluate" the conclusions reached by Dayton or any other author.

Yes, "an author" in question 1 choice (C) is "Dayton."

At the same time, it's not correct to say that Dayton evaluated the data. Dayton offered insights related to the data but did not somehow evaluate the data.

In any case, the passage does not evaluate Dayton's conclusions. It merely presents them, as choice (A) basically says.

SnorLax_7 · Answer

Hi  DmitryFarber   KarishmaB   MartyMurray

Initially when I read this line, I thought that 'along with CHD, Author of the passage also thinks that stats are deceptive' and explains how stats are deceptive. But, when I did the question#1, I struggled, didnt find the answer, went through the passage again and googled 'as X notes..sentences', and I realized my mistake.

My concern is when another person (other than author of the passage) is mentioned, I really get confused and keep questioning myself that what line is mentioned/said by whom. is there any way to come out of this ?

Any help would be appreciated !

Thanks !

KarishmaB · Answer

Hi  DmitryFarber   KarishmaB   MartyMurray 
 
 
 
Whenever you read an argument or a passage, visualise someone saying it to you. Say a friend is saying all that is written to you. Now if this friend says, "The researcher believes that X is a member of Y species," then your friend is giving you this information. He is telling you what the researcher thinks. What does your friend think in this case about X? You don't know until and unless he says something like "and I agree with him" or "but I don't agree". So whenever the author quotes someone, it is just that - a quote - till he uses it to support his own case or till he contradicts it.

SwethaReddyL · Answer

GMATNinja  - can you please explain why E is wrong in this 3rd question? I was btwn C and E and picked E, because E says men's economic needs are primarily local ( i took it because of the legal promises to pay debts) why is E wrong

guddo · Answer

3. The passage suggests that which of the following best compares the economic concerns of women with those of men toward the close of the eighteenth Century in colonial Connecticut?

The passage says that women continued to do much the same kind of debt-related legal and economic work they had done earlier, mainly through local and personal networks. Men, however, became involved in increasingly wide-ranging commercial and credit networks, especially through things like promissory notes.  The key contrast  is that  women’s economic activity stayed relatively similar, while men’s changed much more dramatically .

(A) Both men and women had more economic responsibilities at the end of the century than they had had at the beginning of the century.

This is too broad. The passage does suggest increased legal activity overall, but the main comparison is not simply that both had more responsibilities. It is that women’s role stayed relatively continuous while men’s changed much more.

(B) Women’s economic activities had become less varied by the end of the century; men’s economic activities had become more varied.

The passage does not say women’s activities became less varied. It says women continued much as before, mainly in local and personal networks.

(C) Women’s economic activities at the end of the century were similar to their activities at the beginning; men’s economic activities changed considerably.

This fits best. The passage explicitly says women continued to pursue debtors much as they had in the previous century, while men’s commercial interests and credit networks became increasingly far-flung.

(D) Women’s economic concerns at the end of the century were primarily familial; men’s economic concerns were primarily political.

The passage does not describe the comparison in familial versus political terms. Men’s concerns are described as commercial and legal, not political.

(E) Women’s economic concerns at the end of the century were primarily personal; men’s economic needs were primarily familial.

This is also unsupported. Women’s networks are described as local and personal, but men’s are not described as familial.

Answer: (C)

In colonial Connecticut between 1670 and 1719, women participated in

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In colonial Connecticut between 1670 and 1719, women participated in

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