American fashion designer Patrick Kelly was known for his love of colorful buttons. Many of his signature dresses feature bold...

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American fashion designer Patrick Kelly was known for his love of colorful buttons. Many of his signature dresses feature bold assortments of buttons throughout the garment. In a paper, a fashion design student claims that Kelly's use of buttons as decoration was inspired by his childhood observations of the styles and actions of the women in his family.

Which quotation from a work by a historian would be the most effective evidence for the student to include in support of this claim?

Although some of the assortments of buttons appear to be mismatched pieces scattered randomly throughout Kelly's dresses, his most famous designs feature carefully crafted patterns of matching buttons.

Many of Kelly's contemporaries were inspired by his designs to incorporate buttons, as well as zippers and snaps, as decorative items in their work.

Kelly's grandmother, who would repair clothing when he was a child, frequently added mismatched buttons to the clothes to draw attention away from any flaws in the garments.

Kelly was destined to be a designer from a young age: he learned how to sew clothing from his aunt Bertha, and his love of drawing was developed by his mother.

Solution

Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage

Part A: Passage Analysis Table

Text from Passage	Analysis
'American fashion designer Patrick Kelly was known for his love of colorful buttons.'	What it says: Kelly = designer, famous for colorful buttons What it does: Introduces Kelly and his signature design element What it is: Background/context
'Many of his signature dresses feature bold assortments of buttons throughout the garment.'	What it says: Dresses = lots of bold buttons everywhere What it does: Provides specific details about Kelly's button use What it is: Descriptive evidence
'In a paper, a fashion design student claims that Kelly's use of buttons as decoration was inspired by his childhood observations of the styles and actions of the women in his family.'	What it says: Student claims: Kelly's buttons ← childhood watching family women What it does: Presents the specific claim that needs evidence What it is: Central claim to support

Part B: Passage Architecture & Core Elements

Main Point: A student claims Patrick Kelly's decorative button use stemmed from childhood observations of women in his family.

Argument Flow: The passage establishes Kelly's reputation for colorful buttons, describes how they appear on his dresses, then presents a student's theory that this design choice originated from Kelly observing his female family members during childhood.

Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely

What's being asked? Which historian quotation would most effectively support the student's specific claim about Kelly's inspiration

What type of answer do we need? Evidence that directly connects Kelly's button use to childhood observations of family women's styles/actions

Any limiting keywords? Most effectively support, specific claim

Step 3: Prethink the Answer

The student's claim has two key components: Kelly's button use was inspired by (1) childhood observations of (2) women in his family
The best evidence should:
- Reference Kelly's childhood specifically
- Mention a female family member
- Connect that family member to button-related activities or styles
- Show how this could have influenced Kelly's later design choices

Answer Choices Explained

✗ Incorrect

Discusses Kelly's button patterns and design techniques but doesn't mention childhood or family at all
Focuses on the final product rather than the inspiration source

Many of Kelly's contemporaries were inspired by his designs to incorporate buttons, as well as zippers and snaps, as decorative items in their work.

✗ Incorrect

About Kelly influencing other designers, shows his impact on contemporaries, not what influenced him
No connection to childhood or family observations

Kelly's grandmother, who would repair clothing when he was a child, frequently added mismatched buttons to the clothes to draw attention away from any flaws in the garments.

✓ Correct

Directly mentions Kelly's grandmother and his childhood
Describes the grandmother adding buttons to clothing as decoration
Shows Kelly would have observed this button-decorating behavior as a child
Creates clear causal link between childhood observation of family member's button use and Kelly's later button-focused designs

Kelly was destined to be a designer from a young age: he learned how to sew clothing from his aunt Bertha, and his love of drawing was developed by his mother.

✗ Incorrect

Mentions family influence on Kelly's skills but doesn't specifically connect to button decoration
Students might think any family influence supports the claim, but the claim specifically concerns button inspiration

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