Expansion questions

[dhaozh]

I suspect I'm not alone in thinking that Expansion questions are by far the most difficult type of question in the RC. In fact, the PowerScore RC Bible says on page 117, "These questions can be difficult because they ask you to infer the flow and direction of the passage from a somewhat limited set of clues." While I couldn't agree with that statement more, I find it to be wanting. Can you elaborate further on how best to tackle this question type? If you don't mind, I propose that we consider Question 7 of Passage 5 on page 28 of the Passage Type Training book as an example. Many thanks, as always!

David Z.

[Steve Stein]

Hey David,

Thanks for your question. First of all, you are certainly not alone in seeing the challenges in Expansion questions. For the question you referenced, which requires us to find the answer that most appropriately continues the author’s discussion, we should look for the answer choice that follows the general flow of the last few sentences and remains consistent with the passage as a whole.

Expansion questions can be difficult to prephrase, however, and are sometimes best answered through the process of elimination. It would be helpful if you could let me know your general thought process on that question, along with the choices you were able to eliminate as well as those you found enticing.

I look forward to hearing back—thanks!

[dhaozh]

Hi Steve,

Thanks for your response. I apologize for such a long delay in my reply. Believe or not I actually forgot about this post altogether until now!

Here's my thought process. First I reviewed the main point of the last paragraph, which is that working mothers are disadvantaged in the labor market as a result of their bearing the primary child rearing responsibilities. In fact, the last sentence echoes this, predicting that this problem will persist as long as the labor market remains unaccommodating and the allocation of family roles unfair to women. Looking at the answer choices, B jumped out as very enticing, because it addresses one factor that contributes to the persistence of status quo--men's unwillingness to share their wives' burdens. C is clearly a "loser" because salary levels are irrelevant to the discussion. I also ruled out D and E with confidence because they pertain to the issue of gender inequality, which is materially different from what the passage is about. That leaves A, which doesn't quite sit well with me, as it abruptly shifts focus from women to men. So, I chose B as the correct answer, which turned out to be A.

I hope the forgoing account gives you enough information to diagnose my mistake. Thanks again!

David Z.

[Steve Stein]

Hi David,

Thanks for your response--seems to me you had the right basic approach, and it's great that you were able to narrow down the choices to just two contenders. The right answer follows along with your reasoning perfectly (that problems will persist for women as long as the labor market remains hostile to parents). Correct answer choice A just spells out the other side of the equation ("meanwhile, men will remain at a corresponding advantage")

The problem with B is that the author doesn't really take up the issue of what the spouses of working mothers might know about the barriers discussed, nor what they are willing or unwilling to do about those barriers.

Let me know if this clears things up--thanks!