Current feminist theory, in validating womens own stories of their

6 Questions and 5 correct, 1 wrong took me 14 minutes for this passage( Including the reading time and attempting for 6 questions)
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Also would like your suggestion whether overall 14 minutes is a long time for a passage that contains 6 questions

5. According to the passage, scholars of women's history should refrain from doing which of the following?

(A) Relying on traditional historical sources when women's oral narratives are unavailable
(B) Focusing on the influence of political rhetoric on women's perceptions to the exclusion of other equally important factors
(C) Attempting to discover the cultural and historical factors that influence the stories women tell
(D) Assuming that the conventions of women's written autobiographies are similar to the conventions of women's oral narratives
(E) Accepting women's oral narratives less critically than they accept women's written histories

workout Can you please explain this question? I got only this question incorrect out of total 6 questions

I marked Option B as in the passage it is mentioned that other equally important factors like cultural and historical factors must also be considered which the story tellers are unaware of
I was stuck in Options B and E and ultimately marked Option B

vasuca10

Option B is a trap answer. I eliminated option B due to the phrase "to the exclusion of other equally important factors". The author didn't talk about the exclusion of the other important factors. Hence it is out of scope. Answers to all the questions must and should lie in the passage.

Got 6/6 correct in 11:12 min including 3 min to read the passage!

Passage Map:
Current feminist theory, in validating women’s own stories of their experience, has encouraged scholars of women’s history to view the use of women’s oral narratives as the methodology, next to the use of women’s written autobiography, that brings historians closest to the “reality” of women’s lives. => Use oral narratives with written autobiography

Scholars of women’s history should, however, be as cautious about accepting oral narratives at face value as they already are about written memories. => Be skeptical about oral narratives

That's great work!

However, given that the passage only has one paragraph, taking three minutes to read the passage is one place where you could have cut down on time.

This is crucial as we know that a minute saved on the GMAT can be utilized to solve another SC question.

To save that one minute, or to read any passage effectively, it is important to identify what is to be read and what is not to be read.

Please watch this Youtube video to learn more about our reading principles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZVUpZ-bZto

Hope that helps.

All the best.

Thanks,

Saikiran Dudyala
Byju's GMAT Verbal Expert

Can someone help me with this? I chose D, but didnt quite understand the context

According to the passage, scholars of women’s history
should refrain from doing which of the following?

(A) Relying on traditional historical sources when
women’s oral narratives are unavailable

(B) Focusing on the infl uence of political rhetoric on
women’s perceptions to the exclusion of other
equally important factors

(C) Attempting to discover the cultural and historical
factors that infl uence the stories women tell

(D) Assuming that the conventions of women’s
written autobiographies are similar to the
conventions of women’s oral narratives

(E) Accepting women’s oral narratives less critically
than they accept women’s written histories

For solving this question, consider this statement from the passage

"Scholars of women’s history should, however, be as cautious about accepting oral narratives at face value as they already are about written memories"

The above statement is saying scholars should be equally cautious about accepting oral narratives and written memories.

Question is asking "scholars of history refrain from doing what" ?

If you choose option D " Assuming that the conventions of women’s written autobiographies are similar to the conventions of women’s oral narratives", it contradicts with statement of passage mentioned above, as question is about refrain.

However in option E , author is suggesting scholars should treat both oral narratives and written histories are equally critical.

I hope it helps.

Please help me with Q. No. 5.

I am stuck with options b.

5. According to the passage, scholars of women's history should refrain from doing which of the following?

(A) Relying on traditional historical sources when women's oral narratives are unavailable

(B) Focusing on the influence of political rhetoric on women's perceptions to the exclusion of other equally important factors

As per the passage oral narrative is influenced by 1. story telling conventions/ 2. historical and cultural factors/ 3. and also political rhetoric. As such historians should refrain from just focusing on the political rhetoric part while completely barring the other two. Thus this seems like a suitable answer choice.

(C) Attempting to discover the cultural and historical factors that influence the stories women tell

(D) Assuming that the conventions of women's written autobiographies are similar to the conventions of women's oral narratives

(E) Accepting women's oral narratives less critically than they accept women's written histories

Hi CaptainX

Consider below line from passage:
"The political rhetoric of a particular era, for example, may influence women’s interpretations of the significance of their experience."

In this passage author is giving an example of political rhetoric of a certain time, nowhere it is mentioned oral narrative is influenced by political rhetoric in general.

However author clearly mentions-"the stories people tell to explain themselves are shaped by narrative devices and storytelling conventions, as well as by other cultural and historical factors, in ways that the storytellers may be unaware of."

If you look at option E, , author should refrain from Accepting women's oral narratives less critically than they accept women's written histories.

This option looks much more reasonable than option B.

Remember we should not try to find the right answer rather eliminating 4 wrong answer will help you in long run.

I hope it helps

VeritasKarishma GMATNinja

please explain ques 2 option B

intial part i agree is mentioned in passage but what about last part "in which a women storyteller lives"

Hi teaserbae,

Please refer the OE for question 3: https://gmatclub.com/forum/current-femi ... l#p2404513

Let me know if you still have doubts.

Thanks.

Main Idea: Oral narrative good but not airtight
P1: Current fem theory -> (oral narratives > written autobio); distinction of oral narratives from standard histories
P2: Caution w/ oral narratives [some bias?]; stories people tell shaped by some factors (examples of factors)
1. The passage is primarily concerned with

(A) contrasting the benefits of one methodology with the benefits of another
The passage is about one methodology. It briefly mentions the “written autobiography” because it says the oral is better than the written autos - then essentially nothing about the written autos after that.

(B) describing the historical origins and inherent drawbacks of a particular methodology
Nothing about the historical origins mentioned here. Maybe some could fall for a story trap with the mention of WW2 in the second paragraph, but that’s to provide an example of a factor pertaining to the orals potential drawbacks. It’s not to describe the historical origins.

(C) discussing the appeal of a particular methodology and some concerns about its use
This is pretty spot on. They say oral > written autos (appeal); mention certain good distinctions (appeal); state to be cautious and provide examples as to why (concerns).

(D) showing that some historians' adoption of a particular methodology has led to criticism of recent historical scholarship
What recent historical scholarship?

(E) analyzing the influence of current feminist views on women's interpretations of their experience
It’s not necessarily current feminist VIEWS. We have a way to VIEW the use of women’s oral narratives as the methodology > use of women’s written autobios. And then further explaining the first why it’s good and some potential drawbacks.

2. According to the passage, which of the following shapes the oral narratives of women storytellers?
“the stories people tell to explain themselves are shaped by narrative devices and storytelling conventions, as well as by other cultural and historical factors, in ways that the storytellers may be unaware of”

(A) The conventions for standard histories in the culture in which a woman storyteller lives
[/i]The passage doesn’t actually say anything particular about “standard histories.” I’m not sure why this looked kind of enticing (maybe a lot of familiar words within the passage?), but B is directly supported.

(B) The conventions of storytelling in the culture in which a woman storyteller lives
“shaped by…storytelling conventions, as well as by other cultural…factors, in ways that the storytellers may be unaware of [this last part after the comma alludes to the fact that it may far reaching – more so than the storyteller may be aware of].

(C) A woman storyteller's experience with distinctive traditions of storytelling developed by the women in her family of origin
Family of origin is way too specific here. It can’t be declaratively supported.

(D) The cultural expectations and experiences of those who listen to oral narratives
This isn’t supported. Nothing about the listener.

(E) A woman storyteller's familiarity with the stories that members of other groups in her culture tell to explain themselves
Nothing about familiarity with OTHER groups in her culture tell is said in the passage.

3. The author of the passage would be most likely to make which of the following recommendations to scholars of women's history?
(A) They should take into account their own life experiences when interpreting the oral accounts of women's historical experiences.
NO. This is out of scope. Nothing about taking into account their (the scholars of women’s history) own life experiences.

(B) They should assume that the observations made in women's oral narratives are believed by the intended audience of the story.
Assumptions aren’t made here. This is also out of scope.

(C) They should treat skeptically observations reported in oral narratives unless the observations can be confirmed in standard histories.
Half right half wrong. They should definitely be skeptical (the passage talks about being cautious), but there is no mention of confirmation in standard histories.

(D) They should consider the cultural and historical context in which an oral narrative was created before arriving at an interpretation of such a narrative.
“Scholars should…be as cautious about accepting oral narratives” [then the author starts to talk about some of things to keep in mind, such as] “other cultural and historical factors, in ways that the storytellers may be unaware of” [then gives an example that the] “political rhetoric of a particular era…may influence…interpretations of the significance of their experience”

(E) They should rely on information gathered from oral narratives only when equivalent information is not available in standard histories.
This default way of gathering information isn’t stated. They just said oral > autobios.

4. Which of the following best describes the function of the last sentence of the passage?
[before this sentence, the author tees it up – talks about some factors to consider, then provides a particular example with political stuff and how it may influence women’s interpretations of the significance of their experience] “Thus a woman who views the Second World War as pivotal in increasing the social acceptance of women’s paid work outside the home may reach that conclusion partly and unwittingly because of wartime rhetoric encouraging a positive view of women’s participation in such work.”

(A) It describes an event that historians view as crucial in recent women's history.
Story trap – this could be true. But this isn’t the FUNCTION of the last sentence within the passage. It’s an example and explains how “political rhetoric of a particular era…may influence women’s interpretations of the significance of their experience”

(B) It provides an example of how political rhetoric may influence the interpretations of experience reported in women's oral narratives.
This is almost verbatim what’s mentioned above.

(C) It provides an example of an oral narrative that inaccurately describes women's experience during a particular historical period.
Too strong. Potentially, it’s just a wrong word – “Inaccurately”? How can we be so sure?

(D) It illustrates the point that some women are more aware than others of the social forces that shape their oral narratives.
Story trap – This isn’t the function of the last sentence. Maybe this could be interpreted as the meaning of the sentence itself? But definitely not the FUNCTION of the sentence within the passage. This is a trap because it’s further down in the answer choices, and a test taker may have forgotten what the question was asking at this point.

(E) It identifies the historical conditions that led to the social acceptance of women's paid work outside the home.
Same as D; this isn’t the function of the last sentence. Maybe this could be interpreted as the meaning of the sentence itself? But definitely not the FUNCTION of the sentence within the passage. This is a trap because it’s further down in the answer choices, and a test taker may have forgotten what the question was asking at this point.

5. According to the passage, scholars of women's history should refrain from doing which of the following?
“Scholars of women’s history should, however, be as cautious about accepting oral narratives at face value as they already are about written memories” [AKA just taking it as it is]

(A) Relying on traditional historical sources when women's oral narratives are unavailable
Nothing about traditional historical sources. Or more broadly, the passage does not saying anything about the reliance of using something other than oral narratives when oral narratives aren’t available.

(B) Focusing on the influence of political rhetoric on women's perceptions to the exclusion of other equally important factors
This is too granular. There isn’t a comparison between political rhetoric being under or over explained/influenced.

(C) Attempting to discover the cultural and historical factors that influence the stories women tell
It’s not refraining from attempting to discover these things – it’s to be mindful of them. But even then, the scholars said something very particular about what to be cautious overall about. This is better explained in E.

(D) Assuming that the conventions of women's written autobiographies are similar to the conventions of women's oral narratives
This is what the author wants the scholars to do essentially. The author wants the scholars to refrain from the opposite of this, essentially.

(E) Accepting women's oral narratives less critically than they accept women's written histories
This almost word for word as the quote above. Essentially, don’t take the orals as it is.

6. According to the passage, each of the following is a difference between women's oral narratives and most standard histories EXCEPT:
“Such narratives, unlike most standard histories, represent experience from the perspective of women, affirm the importance of women’s contributions, and furnish present-day women with historical continuity that is essential to their identity, individually and collectively.”

(A) Women's oral histories validate the significance of women's achievements.
affirm the importance of women’s contributions

(B) Women's oral histories depict experience from the point of view of women.
represent experience from the perspective of women

(C) Women's oral histories acknowledge the influence of well-known women.
Nothing about this – “well-known women” (more than enough to pick this answer)

(D) Women's oral histories present today's women with a sense of their historical relationship to women of the past.
furnish present-day women with historical continuity

(E) Women's oral histories are crucial to the collective identity of today's women.
furnish present-day women with historical continuity that is essential to their identity, individually and collectively.

1. The passage is primarily concerned with

(A) contrasting the benefits of one methodology with the benefits of another
(B) describing the historical origins and inherent drawbacks of a particular methodology
(C) discussing the appeal of a particular methodology and some concerns about its use
(D) showing that some historians' adoption of a particular methodology has led to criticism of recent historical scholarship
(E) analyzing the influence of current feminist views on women's interpretations of their experience

The passage talks about a particular methodology- using women’s oral narratives
The author then highlights the positives of the methodology- “Such narratives represent experience from the perspective of women, affirm the importance of women’s contributions, and furnish present-day women with historical continuity that is essential to their identity, individually and collectively”
In the second paragraph, the author points out some concerns regarding the use of such a methodology. He then elaborates on the concerns.- Scholars of women’s history should, however, be as cautious about accepting oral narratives at face value
A- There’s no other methodology discussed in the passage. Eliminate
B- The historical origins of the methodology are not described in the passage. Even though the author points out some concerns regarding the use of the methodology, the entire passage is not about its inherent drawbacks. Eliminate
C- Correct
D- Not discussed. Eliminate
E- The passage discusses one particular methodology. It is not about the influence of current feminist views on women's interpretations of their experiences. Eliminate

2. According to the passage, which of the following shapes the oral narratives of women storytellers?

A- The conventions for standard histories in the culture in which a woman storyteller lives
Eliminate A

(B) The conventions of storytelling in the culture in which a woman storyteller lives

This is a specific detail question.
2nd para from 4th line- Moreover, the stories people tell to explain themselves are shaped by narrative devices and storytelling conventions, as well as by other cultural and historical factors, in ways that the storytellers may be unaware of. The political rhetoric of a particular era, for example, may influence women’s interpretations of the significance of their experience.

Option B is the correct choice.

(C) A woman storyteller's experience with distinctive traditions of storytelling developed by the women in her family of origin
Eliminate C

(D) The cultural expectations and experiences of those who listen to oral narratives
The narratives of women storytellers are not shaped by the cultural expectations of the listeners. Eliminate D

(E) A woman storyteller's familiarity with the stories that members of other groups in her culture tell to explain themselves
Eliminate E

3. The author of the passage would be most likely to make which of the following recommendations to scholars of women's history?

The author says that-

-Scholars of women’s history should be cautious about accepting oral narratives at face value
-the stories people tell to explain themselves are shaped by narrative devices and storytelling conventions, as well as by other cultural and historical factors
- political rhetoric of a particular era may influence women’s interpretations of the significance of their experience.

A- They should take into account their own life experiences when interpreting the oral accounts of women's historical experiences.
The passage does not talk about the life experiences of scholars but the storytellers. Eliminate

(B) They should assume that the observations made in women's oral narratives are believed by the intended audience of the story.
Eliminate

(C) They should treat skeptically observations reported in oral narratives unless the observations can be confirmed in standard histories.

"Moreover, the stories people tell to explain themselves are shaped by narrative devices and storytelling conventions, as well as by other cultural and historical factors, in ways that the storytellers may be unaware of. The political rhetoric of a particular era, for example, may influence women’s interpretations of the significance of their experience"
The reason why the scholars should treat observations in oral narratives skeptically is not that the observations should be confirmed in standard histories but because the narratives would have been influenced by the experience of the storyteller and hence scholars have to be cautious.
Eliminate C

(D) They should consider the cultural and historical context in which an oral narrative was created before arriving at an interpretation of such a narrative.

The author asks the scholars to be cautious about accepting oral narratives at face value because the narratives would have been influenced by many cultural and historical factors and the experiences of the storyteller.
D is Correct.

(E) They should rely on information gathered from oral narratives only when equivalent information is not available in standard histories.

The author does not suggest this in the passage. Eliminate


4. Which of the following best describes the function of the last sentence of the passage?

(A) It describes an event that historians view as crucial in recent women's history.
(B) It provides an example of how political rhetoric may influence the interpretations of experience reported in women's oral narratives.
(C) It provides an example of an oral narrative that inaccurately describes women's experience during a particular historical period.
(D) It illustrates the point that some women are more aware than others of the social forces that shape their oral narratives.
(E) It identifies the historical conditions that led to the social acceptance of women's paid work outside the home.

The last line of the passage- Thus a woman who views the Second World War as pivotal in increasing the social acceptance of women’s paid work outside the home may reach that conclusion partly and unwittingly because of wartime rhetoric encouraging a positive view of women’s participation in such work.
To understand this better, let’s also look at the preceding sentence-
The political rhetoric of a particular era, for example, may influence women’s interpretations of the significance of their experience- Hence, option B is the correct answer choice.

Vishnupriya
CrackVerbal Prep Team

Tejyr
Let me share my thoughts.
Your first interpretation is relevant and near to author's intent.
Author mentioned that Scholars should be cautious in accepting the Oral narratives as they are in accepting Written narratives.

VeritasKarishma GMATNinja

Can you please help me by explaining the meaning of below sentence ?

Oral narratives are no more likely than are written narratives to provide a disinterested commentary on events or people.

Below is my understanding of this passage -

1. Para 1 : Author mentions about a oral narrative methodology and it's advantage compared to written autobiography methodology.
2. Para 2 : Author warns about the usage of oral narrative methodology and highlights various factors that need to be considered while using oral narrative methodology.

As below sentence is part of para 2, so it might be functioning as drawback of oral methodology. But, when i put dictionary meaning of disinterested i.e. which is not biased or partial, that's when i am not getting the context of the sentence.

Oral narratives are no more likely than are written narratives to provide a disinterested commentary on events or people.

Thanks,
Anshul

Narratives - written or oral - are not objective. They are not a disinterested commentary on events or people. So you cannot take them on face value. The person narrating has her feelings and opinions involved in the narration.
So say the war time rhetoric encouraging people to view women's work as a positive change could make women think that war time played a big part in increasing the social acceptance of women’s paid work outside the home. This does not mean that war time did actually play a big part.
So just like we are cautious with written narratives, we should be cautious with oral ones too.

"Oral narratives are no more likely than are written narratives to provide a disinterested commentary on events or people."
means that oral narratives are not more likely than written narratives to be objective. So don't accept them at face value just like you don't accept written memoirs at face value.

1. The passage is primarily concerned with:
(C) discussing the appeal of a particular methodology and some concerns about its use
The passage discusses the use of women's oral narratives as a methodology in women's history. It highlights the benefits of this methodology in bringing historians closer to the "reality" of women's lives from their perspective. However, it also raises cautionary points about accepting oral narratives at face value due to the influence of narrative devices, storytelling conventions, and other cultural and historical factors.

2. According to the passage, which of the following shapes the oral narratives of women storytellers?
(B) The conventions of storytelling in the culture in which a woman storyteller lives
The passage states that oral narratives are shaped by narrative devices, storytelling conventions, cultural expectations, and historical factors. Among these, the conventions of storytelling in the culture where a woman storyteller lives have an impact on shaping her oral narratives.

3. The author of the passage would be most likely to make which of the following recommendations to scholars of women's history?
(D) They should consider the cultural and historical context in which an oral narrative was created before arriving at an interpretation of such a narrative.
The passage suggests that scholars of women's history should approach oral narratives with caution and take into account the cultural and historical context in which these narratives were created. This recommendation emphasizes the importance of understanding the broader context surrounding the narratives to arrive at accurate interpretations.

4. Which of the following best describes the function of the last sentence of the passage?
(B) It provides an example of how political rhetoric may influence the interpretations of experience reported in women's oral narratives.
The last sentence provides an example of how political rhetoric, specifically wartime rhetoric, may influence women's interpretations of their experiences. It illustrates how the perception of the significance of women's paid work outside the home during the Second World War may have been influenced by the positive view encouraged by the wartime rhetoric.

5. According to the passage, scholars of women's history should refrain from doing which of the following?
(E) Accepting women's oral narratives less critically than they accept women's written histories
The passage cautions scholars against accepting women's oral narratives at face value and suggests that they should treat them with the same critical evaluation as written histories. Therefore, scholars should not accept oral narratives less critically than written histories.

6. According to the passage, each of the following is a difference between women's oral narratives and most standard histories EXCEPT:
(C) Women's oral histories acknowledge the influence of well-known women.
The passage states that women's oral narratives represent experience from the perspective of women, affirm the importance of women's contributions, and provide historical continuity for present-day women. It also mentions that women's oral narratives validate the significance of women's achievements. However, the passage does not explicitly mention whether women's oral narratives acknowledge the influence of well-known women.

KarishmaB GMATNinja

Could you explain why (B) is better than (D)?
I was stuck between these 2 options.

I eliminated (B) as I saw that no where in the passage had the author mentioned "the culture in which a woman storyteller lives".
Similarly, no where in the passage is it mentioned that "The cultural expectations and experiences of those who listen to oral narratives", but it was mentioned that the factors were cultural and historical (or historical experiences), and, hence, I selected (D)