Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: Domanda very tricky...

...o addirittura risposta ufficiale opinabile? 
Alla domanda 22B avrei risposto "writers", e invece...
 
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http://books.google.it/books?id=qHx7BOVOHmoC&pg=PA439&lpg=PA439&dq=%22the+majority+of+written+references%22&
 

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http://books.google.it/books?id=qHx7BOVOHmoC&pg=PA439&lpg=PA439&dq=%22the+majority+of+written+references%22&
 
 
Mi sembra una questione semantica: non conoscendo la fonte, non ne 
possiamo accertare l'affidabilità caso per caso; il dubbio non 
necessariamente si estende all'affidabilità complessiva dell'autore. Io 
avrei risposto "sources".
 

 necessariamente si estende all'affidabilità complessiva 
dell'autore. 
...
 
Non a quella *complessiva*, ma il dubbio si estende anche 
all'affidabilità dei "writers".
 
Ma forse è una questione di collocation?

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http://books.google.it/books?id=qHx7BOVOHmoC&pg=PA439&lpg=PA439&dq=%22the+majority+of+written+references%22&
 
 
Mi sembra che il 22B sia una risposta non una domanda, allora si deve 
considerare anche A, C, e D per discutterla.

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Actually there is only 22B, and it is the answer (with correct answer B, of course) to question 22, which can be argued from the answer, anyway :) 
 
 

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We agree that it is "actually" an answer, and the full question is not 
present. The answer references choices A, C, and D.  We cannot see those 
choices so we cannot determine if "writers," or "sources" were even 
possible responses. So, you cannot argue for different wording, you can 
only argue the appropriateness of the given wording.
 
You say that you would have responded with "writers" but you don't even 
know if that was an offered option. But, let's suppose there were 
"actually" a choice between "writer's references" and written 
"references." "Written references" would still be a better choice. A 
writer's reference does not necessarily have to be written, and all we 
have to refer to after several hundred years is the written text. And, 
it sounds better, less ambiguous, and more common to say "written" in 
this context, in English.
 
 
 

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Sorry, Tony, now I realize I did not provide all the needed information.
 
Here is the original question:
 
The word "them" in the passage refers to
a. events
b. sources
c. writers
d. references
 
The "correct" answer is b.

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The question, with the whole referred passage, can be found here
 
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http://books.google.it/books?id=V3a8yq0k6i4C&pg=PA161&dq=%22the+word+them+in+the+passage+refers+to%22+events+sources&hl=it&sa=X&ei=MLGST8d30fnhBK_kxdAP&ved=0CDoQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=%22the%20word%20them%20in%20the%20passage%20refers%20to%22%20events%20sources&f=false
 

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http://books.google.it/books?id=V3a8yq0k6i4C&pg=PA161&dq=%22the+word+them+in+the+passage+refers+to%22+events+sources&hl=it&sa=X&ei=MLGST8d30fnhBK_kxdAP&ved=0CDoQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=%22the%20word%20them%20in%20the%20passage%20refers%20to%22%20events%20sources&f=false
 
 
Okay, Now I understand the question and your choice of answer. There is 
an element of ambiguity in the question. In a multiple-choice question 
such as this there is sometimes more than one acceptable answer but only 
one best answer. I agree that 'sources' is the best answer. If 'them' 
referred to 'writers' it would imply that the writers themselves were 
not to be believed. Although that is a conceivable premise, it is less 
likely than casting doubt on the sources that those writers used.
 
I would not consider this a good question because of the ambiguity.

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Agree on all counts.