The author indicates that the "concepts" mentioned in lines 69-70 originate in
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- informal records and information provided by ordinary people
- comments of senior members of a community on the ways the community has functioned
- patterns of social behavior that have been exhibited by previously studied cultures
- personal experiences of historians who have interviewed many people
- systematic categories devised by historians for various types of sources
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Understanding the context.
The author emphasizes that the "concepts" used in her research come from informal sources, including oral histories and personal recollections, rather than from formal or institutionalized records.
Step 2: Analyzing the options.
- (A) "informal records and information provided by ordinary people" accurately reflects the author's claim that the concepts originate from non-official sources, like family memories and oral history.
- (B) "comments of senior members of a community on the ways the community has functioned" is close but does not fully capture the broader range of informal sources the author discusses.
- (C) "patterns of social behavior that have been exhibited by previously studied cultures" is not the focus of the passage; the author is concerned with specific sources, not general patterns.
- (D) "personal experiences of historians who have interviewed many people" is part of the author's methodology, but the "concepts" come from the sources she interviews, not just her personal experience.
- (E) "systematic categories devised by historians for various types of sources" is the opposite of what the author suggests, as she is advocating for sources from the people, not categories devised by historians.
Step 3: Conclusion.
Option (A) is the correct answer because it best represents the author's emphasis on informal, personal sources for generating new concepts in history.
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