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Reading Passage Question
Recent feminist scholarship concerning the United States in the 1920’s challenges earlier interpretations that assessed the twenties in terms of the unkept “promises” of the women’s suffrage movement. This (5) new scholarship disputes the long-held view that because a women’s voting bloc did not materialize after women gained the right to vote in 1920, suffrage failed to produce long-term political gains for women. These feminist scholars also challenge (10) the old view that pronounced suffrage a failure for not delivering on the promise that the women’s vote would bring about moral, corruption-free governance. Asked whether women’s suffrage was a failure, these scholars cite the words of turn-of-the-century social (15) reformer Jane Addams, “Why don’t you ask if suffrage in general is failing?” In some ways, however, these scholars still present the 1920’s as a period of decline. After suffrage, they argue, the feminist movement lost its cohesiveness (20) and gender consciousness waned. After the mid-1920’s, few successes could be claimed by feminist reformers: little could be seen in the way of legislative victories. During this decade, however, there was intense (25) activism aimed at achieving increased autonomy for women, broadening the spheres within which they lived their daily lives. Women’s organizations worked to establish opportunities for women: they strove to secure for women the full entitlements of citizenship (30) including the right to hold office and the right to serve on juries.
‘Recent feminist scholarship concerning the United’ is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.
This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 7 comprehension questions. The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed for the purpose of testing candidates’ abilities in understanding, analyzing, and applying information or concepts. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.
Solution and Explanation
- The passage is primarily concerned with
(A) providing evidence indicating that feminist reformers of the 1920's failed to reach some of their goals
(B) presenting scholarship that contrasts suffragist "promises" with the historical realities of the 1920's
(C) discussing recent scholarship concerning the achievements of women's suffrage during the 1920's and presenting an alternative view of those achievements
(D) outlining recent findings concerning events leading to suffrage for women in the 1920's and presenting a challenge to those findings
(E) providing support for a traditional view of the success of feminist attempts to increase gender consciousness among women during the 1920's
Answer: C
Explanation: The chapter talks about current research on the successes of women's suffrage. The section concludes with an alternative interpretation of such accomplishments. This solely relates to choice C. As a result, C is the best option. According to the passage, the remaining choices are not entirely accurate.
- It can be inferred that the author of the passage disagrees with the "new scholarship" mentioned in lines 6-7 regarding the
(A) degree to which the "promises" of the suffrage movement remained unkept
(B) degree to which suffrage for women improved the morality of governance
(C) degree to which the 1920's represented a period of decline for the feminist movement
(D) degree of legislative success achieved by feminist reformers during the 1920's
(E) accuracy of the view that a women's voting bloc did not materialize once suffrage was achieved
Answer: C
Explanation: The author provides many arguments in the passage's last paragraph to refute the contention made by the new study that the 1920s were, in some ways, still a time of decline. The author provides a refutation to the new scholarship's assertion that the feminist movement was in some ways on the decline throughout the 1920s. C is the best option.
- The purpose of the second paragraph of the passage is to
(A) suggest a reason why suffragist "promises" were not kept
(B) contrast suffragist "promises" with the reality of the 1920's
(C) deplore the lack of successful feminist reform in 1920's
(D) explain a view held by feminist scholars
(E) answer the question asked by Jane Addams
Answer: D
Explanation: The passage's second paragraph highlights some of the ideas put forth in the current feminist study covered in the first paragraph. This new study is criticised in the first paragraph for undermining past interpretations that claimed the "promises" of the women's suffrage movement had not been fulfilled. D is the right answer.
- It can be inferred from the passage that recent scholars cite the words of Jane Addams primarily in order to
(A) suggest that women’s achievement of suffrage brought about changes in government that were not taken into account by early interpretations
(B) point out contradictions inherent in the goals of the women’s suffrage movement
(C) show why a women’s voting bloc was not formed when women won the right to vote
(D) emphasize the place of social reform movements in the struggle for suffrage for women
(E) suggest that the old view of women’s suffrage was inappropriate
Answer: E
Explanation: E is accurate. According to the outdated perspective, the women's suffrage movement was unsuccessful in many aspects since it was unable to realise key objectives that were connected to the cause. The researchers use Addams to argue that this perspective is incorrect: women's suffrage should not be viewed as a failure for not accomplishing all of its objectives any more than suffrage, in general, can be viewed as a failure for not accomplishing all of its objectives.
- It can be inferred that the analyses of the author of the passage and the scholars mentioned in lines 20–23 differ with regard to which of the following?
(A) The criteria they use to evaluate the success of the feminist movement during the 1920s
(B) Their interpretations of the “promises” of the suffragist movement
(C) The suggestions they make for achieving feminist goals
(D) Their definitions of what constitutes a legislative victory
(E) Their estimations of the obstacles preventing women’s having achieved a voting bloc in the 1920s
Answer: A
Explanation: The author highlights actual victories for women, such as the development of more opportunities for women by women's organizations and the fight to ensure that women have full citizenship rights, including the right to hold office and the right to serve on juries. By offering additional criteria that might be used to assess the accomplishments of the 1920s feminist movement, the author thus seems to refute the claim made by these historians that the decade of the 1920s was one of decline. A is the best option.
- The “new scholarship” mentioned in the first paragraph suggests which of the following concerning the “promises” mentioned in lines 4–5?
(A) Failure to keep these promises is not a measure of the success of the suffrage movement.
(B) Failure to keep these promises caused the feminist movement to lose cohesiveness during the 1920s.
(C) Failure to keep these promises led recent feminist scholars to reevaluate the success of the suffrage movement.
(D) These promises included securing for women the right to hold office and the right to serve on juries.
(E) These promises were of little importance in winning suffrage for women.
Answer: A
Explanation: According to the passage, new scholarship challenged the conventional wisdom that the women's suffrage campaign was unsuccessful because it failed to fulfill some of its promises, such as the formation of a women's voting bloc and the emergence of a moral, corruption-free government. This research disproved the idea that the movement had failed because "promises" had not been honored. A is the best option.
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