mary, I often found it difficult to obtain clearances through controlled airspace. Indeed, I got so fed up with them being refused that I simply planned to go around them - why plan two routes when one would do? I even once got jumped on for planning a turning point right on the edge of Birmingham's airspace. The controller said, "That's really close to us you know". Yes, I did know, since I had a chart. And I knew if I kept to the left of the road I was OK, and I knew the area well and was in a helicopter so both nav and precise flying were easy on a clear day. But she was adamant and obviously worried, so I sighed and didn't argue, and agreed a turning point a couple of miles away.
As for the original question, it really worries me if new-ish PPLs feel they can't ask something here for fear of being thought stupid. Also the way responders jump to conclusions...he doesn't know what controlled airspace is, arghhhh. That wasn't what he said! He knew you didn't go through it without permission. That is not the same as knowing why specifically that bit of airspace is controlled, which struck me as what was being asked...or it could be. People learn by asking questions. Those of us who know should be willing to answer them. That way someone learns more. And if his initial training wasn't that brilliant - well, mine wasn't either, and I filled in the gaps later on, BY ASKING QUESTIONS. That's what these forums are for, at least partly. Well, they were in the dim and distant past when I used to come here frequently, and they should be. If not, them I'm leaving for another few months or years.