Which one of the following statements would most appropriately continue the discussion at the end of the passage?
dfolaveJanuary 6, 2016
Can you Please explain
What's the best approach to this question. I answered E but can see a case for other answers. How can you properly infer a correct continuation sentence for the argument as required in this question? Thanks
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I did the same as the previous comment. Please advise.
MehranFebruary 5, 2016
Hi @dfolave and @texasjohnrh, thank you for your questions. Methodologically, the best approach to such argument continuation questions is to identify the main point in the relevant part of the argument. We are being asked to continue the last paragraph of the passage, which talks about all of the significant compromises and obstacles working mothers must overcome. The conclusion of the paragraph is that "as long as the labor market remains hostile to parents, and family roles continue to be allocated on the basis of gender, women will be seriously disadvantaged in that labor market."
All right. Let's consider each answer choice.
Answer choice (A) does what the question asks, that is, it is an appropriate concluding sentence in light of the preceding paragraph (and, indeed, passage overall).
Answer choice (B) can be eliminated because there is no textual support for the contention that men seem unwilling to do anything about these barriers.
Answer choice (C) must be eliminated because it says that things might get MORE equitable (more equal)--which is the OPPOSITE of what this passage is arguing.
Answer choice (D) contradicts the passage. Although the focus of the passage (and especially the last paragraph) is on mothers, the author has already acknowledged that ANY parent with primary child-care responsibility is significantly disadvantaged by conventional work structures. See lines 12-15, for example.
Answer choice (E) must be eliminated, because it is overbroad. The answer choice mentions "institutions in society," but the passage is far more limited, discussing only one such institution, namely the labor market.
Hope this helps! Please let us know if you have any additional questions.
FlavioFebruary 16, 2016
@Mehran, for some reason it's marking A as the correct answer, when it's supposed to be E.
anemetskyJanuary 17, 2018
Hi I don't understand why D is wrong.
Men with child-rearing responsibilities will continue to enjoy more advantages than their female counterparts (ie females with child-rearing responsibilities) because of institutional gender roles that force women to stay home and care for the children.
KatyMillerAugust 15, 2021
I also don't understand why D is wrong. The passage briefly discussed that males who are single parents are still better off than single parent females. I don't see how D is contradicting the passage.
RaviFebruary 6, 2022
@KatyMiller, D doesn't work because the passage never suggested that men with primary child-caring responsibilities had advantages in the workplace. The whole point was that anybody with primary child-caring responsibilities faced disadvantages, but that it was usually the mother who faced those problems.
