PrepTest 103, Section 4, Question 26
In England before 1660, a husband controlled his(440 more words not shown)
According to the passage, Staves(15 more words not shown)
- AJudges frequently misunderstood(7 more words not shown)
- BJudges were aware(16 more words not shown)
- CJudges' decisions about(14 more words not shown)
- DJudges had little(12 more words not shown)
- EJudges recognized the(20 more words not shown)
Reading the passage
The judges undermined the apparent gains—that's the broad idea to keep in mind. We need a supported statement about their decisions, so let's check the choices against the account of how they handled marriage contracts.
Working the answers
- A
We aren't told that judges misunderstood or misapplied the laws. Decisions that hurt women's interests aren't automatically mistakes about what the law says.
- B
The people who thought the inconsistencies would soon vanish were eighteenth-century historians, not judges. This assigns a real view to the wrong group.
- CCorrect
The end of paragraph 2 says judges often reverted to property assumptions from before 1660. That gives us the specific way their decisions undermined the apparent changes: older property assumptions still shaped the treatment of newer contracts.
- D
Judges acquired greater authority over marriage-contract decisions (paragraph 2). They had enough influence to undermine the gains, so little influence doesn't fit.
- E
Occasional decisions supported women's financial power, but we aren't told judges generally recognized patriarchal assumptions and tried to counter them. The overall pattern Staves describes goes the other way: restrictions and older assumptions weakened women's protections.
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