Question

how, then, could it shakespeares genius have been born among women whose work began, according to professor trevalyan, almost before they were out of the nursery, who were forced to it by their parents and held to it by all the power of law and custom? yet genius of a sort must have existed among women as it must have existed among the working classes. now and again an emily brontë or a robert burns blazes out and proves its presence. - a room of ones own, virginia woolf which statement best explains how a rhetorical device supports the central idea? an allusion is used to refer to the central idea. parallel structure is used to imply the central idea of the passage. a rhetorical question suggests the central idea. understatement emphasizes the importance of the central idea.

Explanation:

The passage begins with the question "How, then, could it [Shakespeare's genius] have been born among women...". A rhetorical question is a question asked not for an answer but to make a point. Here, the question implies that it was very difficult (if not impossible) for women in such restrictive circumstances (as described: work from early age, forced by parents, held by law and custom) to have the conditions to develop genius like Shakespeare's. This question - which is a rhetorical device - suggests the central idea that societal restrictions on women made it hard for female genius (like Shakespeare - level genius) to emerge.

Answer:

A rhetorical question suggests the central idea.