Question

The author asserts that the historians discussed in the passage have

• A. influenced feminist theorists who concentrate on the family
• B. honored the perceptions of the women who participated in the women suffrage movement
• C. treated feminism as a social force rather than as an intellectual tradition
• D. paid little attention to feminist movements
• E. expanded the conventional view of nineteenth-century feminism
• A. significance of the woman suffrage movement
• B. importance to society of the family as an institution
• C. degree to which feminism changed nineteenth-century society
• D. philosophical traditions on which contemporary feminism is based
• J. public response to domestic feminism in the nineteenth century
• A. Those who participated in the moral reform movement were motivated primarily by a desire to reconcile their private lives with their public positions.
• B. Those who advocated domestic feminism, although less visible than the suffragists, were in some ways the more radical of the two groups.
• C. Those who participated in the woman suffrage movement sought social roles for women that were not defined by women's familial roles.
• D. Those who advocated domestic feminism regarded the gaining of more autonomy within the family as a step toward more participation in public life.
• O. Those who participated in the nineteenth-century moral reform movement stood midway between the positions of domestic feminism and suffragism.
• A. They argue that nineteenth-century feminism was not as significant a social force as twentieth-century feminism has been.
• B. They rely too greatly on the perceptions of the actual participants in the events they study.
• C. Their assessment of the relative success of nineteenth-century domestic feminism does not adequately take into account the effects of antifeminist rhetoric.
• D. Their assessment of the significance of nineteenth-century suffragism differs considerably from that of nineteenth-century feminists.
• T. They devote too much attention to nineteenth-century suffragism at the expense of more radical movements that emerged shortly after the turn of the century.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question asks what the author of the passage claims the "historians" (who underestimated the suffrage movement) have done. We need to find the statement in the passage that directly describes an outcome of their work.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The author is critical of these historians for underestimating suffragism. However, the author does concede one positive contribution they made.
In lines 10-12, the author states: "True, by emphasizing these struggles [moral reform and domestic feminism], such historians have broadened the conventional view of nineteenth-century feminism, but they do a historical disservice to suffragism."
This sentence directly supports option (E). The author explicitly says that these historians have "broadened" (or expanded) the conventional view.
Let's analyze the other options:
(A) The passage states that the historians were influenced by feminist theorists, not the other way around.
(B) This is the opposite of what the author claims. The author argues they have ignored the perceptions of the participants by underestimating suffragism.
(C) The passage discusses feminism as a social force, but it doesn't make a distinction or claim about how these specific historians treated it versus an intellectual tradition.
(D) This is incorrect. These historians paid significant attention to other feminist movements like "moral reform" and "domestic feminism."
Step 3: Final Answer:
The passage explicitly states that the historians in question have "broadened the conventional view of nineteenth-century feminism." Therefore, option (E) is the correct answer.

Answer 2

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question asks about the specific influence that "some twentieth-century feminists" had on "some historians," according to the author. We need to locate the part of the passage that describes this cause-and-effect relationship.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The very first sentence of the passage establishes this relationship directly:
"Influenced by the view of some twentieth-century feminists that women's position within the family is one of the central factors determining women's social position, some historians have underestimated the significance of the woman suffrage movement."
This sentence explicitly states that the feminists' focus on the family influenced historians' view of the significance of the woman suffrage movement, causing them to underestimate it.
Let's check the other options:
(B) The feminists held this view, but the passage claims this influenced the historians' view of suffrage, not their view on the family itself.
(C), (D), (E) These topics are not mentioned in the passage as being the subject of the influence. The text makes a very specific connection between the feminists' focus on the family and the historians' resulting devaluation of the suffrage movement.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The first sentence of the passage directly states that the feminists' views led historians to underestimate the significance of the woman suffrage movement. Therefore, option (A) is the correct answer.

Answer 3

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question asks us to identify a characteristic of nineteenth-century feminists based on the information provided in the passage. We need to find the statement that is directly supported by the text.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The passage draws a distinction between two types of feminist movements. One type, including "domestic feminism," focused on gaining power "within the family." The other was the suffrage movement.
The author describes the unique goal of the suffragists in lines 17-19: "...suffragists were demanding power that was not based on the institution of the family, women's traditional sphere."
This directly means they were seeking roles for women outside of the traditional, family-based context. Option (C) is a clear paraphrase of this statement.
Let's analyze the other options:
(A) The passage does not discuss the personal motivations of moral reform participants.
(B) The passage explicitly states that both feminists and anti-feminists of the era perceived the \textit{suffragists'} demand as "the most radical element," not domestic feminism.
(D) The passage defines domestic feminism as a struggle for autonomy within the family, not as a stepping stone to public life.
(E) The passage groups the moral reform movement with domestic feminism as movements focused on the family, not as a midway point.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The passage explicitly states that suffragists sought power outside the traditional family sphere, which aligns perfectly with option (C).

Answer 4

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The question asks what the author implies about the historians who are the subject of the passage. The author's main point is a critique of these historians, and we need to identify the core of that critique.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The author's central argument is that "some historians have underestimated the significance of the woman suffrage movement" (lines 3-5).
The author then contrasts this assessment with the view of the people who lived through the era. In lines 14-16, the author states, "Nineteenth-century feminists and anti-feminist alike perceived the suffragists' demand for enfranchisement as the most radical element in women's protest."
Therefore, the historians' assessment (that suffragism was "less important") differs significantly from the assessment of the actual nineteenth-century feminists (who saw it as "the most radical element"). Option (D) accurately captures this difference.
Let's analyze the other options:
(A) The passage does not compare nineteenth-century feminism to twentieth-century feminism in this way.
(B) This is the opposite of the author's point. The author concludes by saying historians should "consider the perceptions of actual participants," implying that the historians being criticized do not rely on them enough.
(C) The passage mentions anti-feminists' perceptions but does not focus on the effect of their rhetoric.
(E) This is incorrect. The author claims these historians devote too little attention to suffragism, focusing instead on domestic feminism and moral reform.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The core of the author's critique is the discrepancy between the historians' modern assessment and the lived experience of nineteenth-century feminists. Option (D) correctly identifies this discrepancy.