The total estate considered for purposes of a surviving spouse's elective share includes the decedent's probate estate plus certain nonprobate assets like gifts and trusts.

• A. Elective share
• B. Reform
• C. Augmented estate
• D. Solemn probate

Answer: (C)

Augmented estate is the term for the total estate used to calculate the surviving spouse's elective share, because it includes the probate estate plus certain nonprobate transfers such as gifts and assets held in revocable trusts. This approach prevents a deceased spouse from diminishing the elective share by shifting assets outside the probate process—for example, making lifetime gifts or funding revocable arrangements that would otherwise not be counted. By including those nonprobate elements within a look-back period, the elective share reflects a more comprehensive picture of what the decedent controlled. The other terms don’t describe this combined calculation: the elective share is the portion available to the spouse, reform pertains to correcting a will, and solemn probate is not a standard term in this context.