During most of the nineteenth century, many French women continued to

Question

During most of the nineteenth century, many
French women continued to be educated according to
models long established by custom and religious
tradition. One recent observer has termed the failure
  (5)   to institute real and lasting educational reform at the
end of the eighteenth century a “missed
opportunity”—for in spite of the egalitarian and
secular aims of the French Revolution in 1789, a
truly nondiscriminatory education system for both
  (10)   women and men would not be established in the
country until the 1880s. However, legislators had put
forth many proposals for educational reform in the
years just after the revolution; two in particular
attempted to institute educational systems for women
  (15)   that were, to a great extent, egalitarian.

The first of these proposals endeavored to replace
the predominantly religious education that women
originally received in convents and at home with
reformed curricula. More importantly, the proposal
  (20)   insisted that, because education was a common good
that should be offered to both sexes, instruction
should be available to everyone. By the same token,
teachers would be drawn from both sexes. Thus the
proposal held it essential that schools for both men
  (25)   and women be established promptly throughout the
country and that these schools be public, a tangible
sign of the state’s interest in all of its citizens. One
limitation of this proposal, however, was that girls,
unlike boys, were to leave school at age eight in
  (30)   order to be educated at home in the skills necessary
for domestic life and for the raising of families. The
second proposal took a more comprehensive
approach. It advocated equal education for women
and men on the grounds that women and men enjoy
  (35)   the same rights, and it was the only proposal of the
time that called for coeducational schools, which
were presented as a bulwark against the traditional
gender roles enforced by religious tradition. In other
respects, however, this proposal also continued to
  (40)   define women in terms of their roles in the domestic
sphere and as mothers.

That neither proposal was able to envision a
system of education that was fully equal for women,
and that neither was adopted into law even as such,
  (45)   bespeaks the immensity of the cultural and political
obstacles to egalitarian education for women at the
time. Nevertheless, the vision of egalitarian
educational reform was not entirely lost. Nearly a
century later, in the early 1880s, French legislators
  (50)   recalled the earlier proposals in their justification of
new laws that founded public secondary schools for
women, abolished fees for education, and established
compulsory attendance for all students. In order to
pass these reforms, the government needed to
  (55)   demonstrate that its new standards were rooted in a
long philosophical, political, and pedagogical
tradition. Various of the resulting institutions also
made claim to revolutionary origin, as doing so
allowed them to appropriate the legitimacy conferred
  (60)   by tradition and historical continuity.    1 
 1. It can be inferred from the passage that the French legislators who passed new educational laws in the early 1880s were

(A) committed to removing education in the skills necessary for domestic life from the public school curriculum
(B) unaware of the difficulties that the earlier legislators faced when advocating similar legislation
(C) concerned with improving educational equality across economic strata as well as between the sexes
(D) more open to political compromise than were the legislators who introduced the previous proposals for reform
(E) more inclined to give religious authorities a role in education than were the legislators who introduced the previous proposals for reform

2 
 2. Which one of the following most accurately describes the organization of the passage?

(A) Education in France during one historical period is described; two proposals that attempted to reform the educational system are presented; inconsistencies within each proposal are identified and lamented.
(B) The movement toward gender equality in France during one historical period is discussed; two proposals for educational reform are presented; the differences between the proposals and the educational system of that era are outlined.
(C) The traditional nature of French education for women is described; proposed breaks with tradition are discussed, followed by a discussion of why eventual change required less of a break with tradition.
(D) The egalitarian aims in France during one historical period are presented; proposals that foreshadowed eventual reform are described; the initial characterization of the aims is modified.
(E) The nature of education for women in France during one historical period is described; proposals for educational reform are presented; the relationship between the proposals and eventual reform is indicated.

3 
 3. Suppose that two proposals were put forward by lawmakers concerning housing reform today. Which one of the following pairs of proposals is most closely analogous to the pair of proposals discussed in the second paragraph of the passage?

(A) “Housing should be made available to all” and “Real estate practices should be nondiscriminatory”
(B) “Housing should be made available to all” and “The quality of housing should be improved”
(C) “There should be housing for all who can pay” and “Housing should be of uniform quality”
(D) “The quality of housing should be improved” and “Real estate practices should be nondiscriminatory”
(E) “Low-cost housing should be constructed” and “Housing should be of uniform quality”

4 
 4. According to the passage, the second of the two proposals discussed was distinctive because it asserted that

(A) everyone should both learn and teach
(B) males and females should go to the same schools
(C) education should involve lifelong learning
(D) religious schools should be abolished
(E) education for girls should be both public and secular

5 
 5. Based on the passage, the fact that the proposed reforms were introduced shortly after the French Revolution most clearly suggests that the proposals

(A) were a reaction to the excesses of the new government
(B) had their roots in a belief in the power of education
(C) had vast popular support within French society
(D) treated education for women as a prerequisite to the implementation of other reforms
(E) were influenced by egalitarian ideals

6 
 6. The author would most likely describe the proposals mentioned in the passage with which one of the following statements?

(A) They espoused reforms that were very modest by the standards of the day.
(B) They were fundamentally unethical due to their incomplete view of equality.
(C) They were well-meaning attempts to do as much as was feasible at the time.
(D) They were reasonable, and it is difficult to understand why they failed.
(E) They were not adopted because their aims were not fully comprehensive.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

6. The author would most likely describe the proposals mentioned in the passage with which one of the following statements?

Explanation

The author doesn’t express much opinion in this passage. Most comments about the proposals were saved until the beginning of the last paragraph, in which the author expresses the failure of both proposals and how their failure illustrates the tremendous obstacles faced by reformers. We need to look out for wrong answers that distort this point of view.

(A)  Given that the second proposal is described as  “a bulwark against the traditional gender roles enforced by religious tradition” (lines 37–38) , it’s difficult to infer that the proposal was  “modest.”  Eliminate.

(B)  The author never suggests anything unethical about either proposal. Eliminate.

(C)  Both proposals are described as facing major obstacles, which speaks to them meaning well. And, by calling the problems  “limitations”  in the second paragraph, the author is definitely suggesting that they failed due to the constraints at that time. This answer works fine. For the record:

(D)  The author presents an explanation of why they failed in the last paragraph, indicating that it’s not necessarily difficult to understand the reasoning.

(E)  According to the last paragraph, the proposals failed because of  “cultural and political obstacles,”  not because they weren’t comprehensive.

Answer: C

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

3. Suppose that two proposals were put forward by lawmakers concerning housing reform today. Which one of the following pairs of proposals is most closely analogous to the pair of proposals discussed in the second paragraph of the passage?

Explanation

Despite the length of the question stem, we’re merely looking for two proposals on housing reform that mimic the same logic as the two proposals on education reform presented in the passage. The first proposal suggested making education available to everyone—men and women. The second proposal suggested making education equal for everyone. We want a similar set of proposals that mimic the  “something for everyone”  and  “everyone gets the same”  concepts.  (A)  is an instant winner. For the record:

(B) Distortion.  The first proposal is a perfect match, but the second proposal focuses on improving the system rather than making it equal for everyone.

(C) Distortion.  The second proposal is a good match, but the first proposal offers a “those who can pay” qualification that isn’t found in the first education reform proposal.

(D) Distortion.  Again, the second proposal is a good match, but the first proposal focuses on improving the system rather than making it available to everyone.

(E) Outside the Scope.  The first proposal focuses on cost, which is something the first educational proposal never does.

Answer: A

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

1. It can be inferred from the passage that the French legislators who passed new educational laws in the early 1880s were

Explanation

This question is looking for information about legislators who passed education laws in the 1880s. That wording (especially the use of the date) leads us right to  lines 48–53.  In those lines, we learn that not only did they establish schools for women, but they also abolished education fees and made attendance mandatory. Armed with that information, it’s time to go through the answers.

(A)  While one may assume that these legislators started to shy away from the idea that women were solely defined as domestic, that doesn’t suggest a completer removal of domestic skills from education. Eliminate.

(B)  In the lines that end the passage, it seems that, on the contrary, legislators were well aware of past obstacles and had to work hard to make sure that reforms were accepted. Eliminate.

(C)  By eliminating education fees, it certainly seems that the legislators had economic motives in addition to gender-related motives in their reforms. This is the correct response. For the record:

(D)  Since these legislators also had to conform to standards of political tradition  (as suggested in lines 54–57) , there’s no support to the idea that they were more willing to compromise such traditions than earlier legislators.

(E)  This answer seems to refer directly to the reduced religious emphasis as defined in the first proposal. However, since the legislators in the 1880s used that first proposal as part of the foundation of their reform, we can’t infer that they were more inclined to allow a religious role in education.

Answer: C

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

2. Which one of the following most accurately describes the organization of the passage?

Explanation

Recalling the structure of the passage, the author started by discussing the status of women’s education in the 19th century following the Revolution. After presenting a complaint about this status, the author provides two proposals that were presented to change that status. After discussing how these proposals indicated major obstacles, the author concludes by showing the eventual reform and how it came about.  (E)  captures just about everything, and all in the correct order. For the record:

(A) Distortion.  Everything seems to be pretty accurate here, but this answer fails on two accounts. First, the problems with the proposals are more pragmatic issues than they are inconsistencies. Second, this answer entirely ignores the last paragraph and the discussion of the eventual reform.

(B) Outside the Scope.  This answer falls apart almost immediately because gender equality is not really a focus of the discussion in the first paragraph. Furthermore, like (A), this answer fails to address the reform mentioned in the last paragraph.

(C) Close.  But the eventual change still required a break with tradition. This answer focuses too much on breaking with tradition rather than reforming the educational system.

(D) Outside the Scope.  Like (B), this answer fails by refocusing the first paragraph on discussing the egalitarian aims in France. Furthermore, any aims mentioned are not modified at the end.

Answer: E

DishaAgarwal12 · Answer

4. According to the passage, the second of the two proposals discussed was distinctive because it asserted that

(A) everyone should both learn and teach
(B) males and females should go to the same schools
(C) education should involve lifelong learning
(D) religious schools should be abolished
(E) education for girls should be both public and secular

The radical part about the second proposal is that both girls and boys should go to same school "coeducation". Hence B is the right choice.

During most of the nineteenth century, many French women continued to

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During most of the nineteenth century, many French women continued to

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