16Hit1600
Information and IdeasVery hardEvidence for a claim about a letter's author

Information and Ideas practice question

A scholar argues that an unsigned letter of 1790 in a family archive was written by the eldest daughter of the house, not, as long assumed, by her father.

Which finding, if true, would most directly support the claim?

  1. A. The letter's handwriting matches the daughter's signed diaries in every letterform, and it refers to 'my father's gout', which the father's own letters never mention.Correct
  2. B. The letter is dated 1790.
  3. C. The father wrote many letters.
  4. D. The daughter could read and write.

Answer: A. The letter's handwriting matches the daughter's signed diaries in every letterform, and it refers to 'my father's gout', which the father's own letters never mention.

Her hand, and a reference only she would make.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. The letter is dated 1790.
The date is not disputed.
C. The father wrote many letters.
Quantity does not identify this letter.
D. The daughter could read and write.
Literacy makes it possible, not proven.

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