In her account of unmarried women’s experiences in
colonial Philadelphia, Wulf argues that educated young
women, particularly Quakers, engaged in resistance to
patriarchal marriage by exchanging poetry critical of
marriage, copying verse into their commonplace
books. Wulf suggests that this critique circulated
beyond the daughters of the Quaker elite and middle
class, whose commonplace books she mines,
proposing that Quaker schools brought it to many poor
female students of diverse backgrounds.
Here Wulf probably overstates Quaker schools’ impact.
At least three years’ study would be necessary to
achieve the literacy competence necessary to grapple
with the material she analyzes. In 1765, the year Wulf
uses to demonstrate the diversity of Philadelphia’s
Quaker schools, 128 students enrolled in these
schools. Refining Wulf’s numbers by the information
she provides on religious affiliation, gender, and length
of study, it appears that only about 17 poor nonQuaker

girls were educated in Philadelphia’s Quaker
schools for three years or longer. While Wulf is correct
that a critique of patriarchal marriage circulated
broadly, Quaker schools probably cannot be credited
with instilling these ideas in the lower classes. Popular
literary satires on marriage had already landed on
fertile ground in a multiethnic population that
embodied a wide range of marital beliefs and
practices. These ethnic- and class-based traditions
themselves challenged the legitimacy of patriarchal
marriage.


According to the passage, which of the following was true of attitudes toward marriage in colonial Philadelphia?
A. Exemplars of a critique of marriage could be found in various literary forms, but they did not impact public attitudes except among educated young women.
B. The diversity of the student body in the Quaker schools meant that attitudes toward marriage were more disparate there than elsewhere in Philadelphia
society.
C. Although critical attitudes toward marriage were widespread, Quaker schools’ influence in disseminating these attitudes was limited.
D. Criticisms of marriage in colonial Philadelphia were directed at only certain limited aspects of patriarchal marriage.
E. The influence of the wide range of marital beliefs and practices present in Philadelphia’s multiethnic population can be detected in the poetry that
educated young women copied in their commonplace books.

I marked , and I know it is wrong but how can anyone explain ?


The author of the passage implies which of the following about the poetry mentioned in the first paragraph?
A. Wulf exaggerates the degree to which young women from an elite background regarded the poetry as providing a critique of marriage.
B. The circulation of the poetry was confined to young Quaker women.
C. Young women copied the poetry into their commonplace books because they interpreted it as providing a desirable model of unmarried life.
D. The poetry’s capacity to influence popular attitudes was restricted by the degree of literacy necessary to comprehend it.
E. The poetry celebrated marital beliefs and practices that were in opposition to patriarchal marriage.

I again marked , and the OA is .

Please explain the above two questions.

Help appreciated.
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My 2 cents.

In the first question - (A) says " Exemplars of a critique of marriage could be found in various literary forms" which I feel is not true as per the message. There is no discussion of other literary forms except the poetry, so there are no other literary forms discussed.

Forgot to add, I got it wrong myself then only realized the above difference.
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wow, i got both of them correct , but took 9mins

In the first question, option A talks about the exemplars of the critque of a marriage could be found in various literary forms, no where in the passage author suggests that these exemplars are supported in various literary forms, indeed exemplars, here common place books(if considered various literary forms) did impact public attitudes of other than young educated women(middle class)...you need to justify every word for the answer to be correct.

Second question,option A says, Wulf exaggerates the degree to which young women from an elite background..... from the passage," Here Wulf probably overstates Quaker schools’ impact." clearly you can infer that young women from an elite background = quaker's school, no where in the passage the same is suggetsed,..moreover Wulf exaggerates the impact not the "the degree (to which young women from an elite background regarded) the poetry as providing a critique of marriage"

Hope this helps