Digital PSAT Reading and Writing Practice Question 208: Answer and Explanation

Question: 208

In the scholarly debate of gender and class in Renaissance Italy, the writings of historian Samuel K. Cohn, Jr., maintain that Italian women-especially those of the lower classes-experienced a palpable decline in status from the late 14th century until the Counter-Reformation visitations of the 1570s. Cohn's essays are distinct from his contemporaries in that they bespeak a darker and rarely mentioned side of the Renaissance. __________ the broadly encompassing scope of his essays is an attempt to investigate populations as a whole, rather than focusing solely on elites, which, according to Cohn, "has been, with few exceptions, the tendency of women's Renaissance history since the 1970s."

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

• A. However,
• B. Moreover,
• C. Furthermore,
• D. In particular,

Correct Answer: D

Explanation:

(D) This is the only option to provide a proper transition between the broad statement made in the previous sentence (i.e., that Cohn's essays focus on a darker side of the Renaissance) and the more specific elaboration on what makes his essays distinctive (i.e., that these essays look at people from all social classes instead of only focusing on elites).