Women's grassroots activism and their vision of a new civic consciousn

VeritasKarishma GMATNinja

In question 5 can you explain correct ans. i haven't seen that author agrees with statement although author mentions that it's not an exploitative practice in this line(This is not to dispute women reformers' perception of child labor as a terribly exploitative practice, but their understanding of child labor and their legislative solutions for ending
it failed to take account of the economic needs of working-class families.) it's not kind of saying they were correct in conviction.Can we say he is not against their perception of child labor laws so he agreed with them.

GMATNinja Could you please explain the answer to the first question?
I was split between options D and E.
I chose E.

Why is E the wrong option?

Yet reformers rarely understood this resistance in terms of the desperate economic situation of working-class families, interpreting it instead as evidence of poor parenting. This is not to dispute women reformers' perception of child labor as a terribly exploitative practice, but their understanding of child labor and their legislative solutions for ending it failed to take account of the economic needs of working-class families.

The author is not disputing the reformers' perception of child labour as a terribly exploitative practice. So he agrees that the reformers' perception was correct.
But he says that reformers' understanding failed to take the economic needs into account.

5. The author of the passage asserts which of the following about women reformers who tried to abolish child labor?

A They alienated working-class mothers by attempting to enlist them in agitating for progressive causes.
B They underestimated the prevalence of child labor among the working classes.
C They were correct in their conviction that child labor was deplorable but shortsighted about the impact of child labor legislation on working-class families.
D They were aggressive in their attempts to enforce child labor legislation, but were unable to prevent working-class families from circumventing them.
E They were prevented by their nearly total disenfranchisement from making significant progress in child labor reform.

Option (C) tells us exactly this.

Can you please explain the previous line ? pitted against one another ?

Question 1

This passage describes the activities of women's grassroots activism. It describes some of the victories achieved by white middle-class women reformers before discussing their disagreement with working-class mothers over the issue of child labor laws.

Let's take a closer look at (E) to see why it is the wrong option:

For (E) to be the correct option, the passage would need to tell us what the traditional view of the role played by women reformers is, why it is wrong, and what our new view should be. This doesn't happen in the passage.

While we are told about the recent observations of women historians, this is not to change a view of the reformers but to tell us that working-class women did not always share the views of the reformers.

There is nothing in the passage to suggest it is trying to revise a traditional view of the women reformers, this is why (E) is not the answer to this question.

Now, let's take a look at (D):

The final sentence of the passage suggests that the women reformers' "understanding of child labor and their legislative solutions for ending it failed to take account of the economic needs of working-class families."

Most of the passage is spent discussing the disagreement between the white middle-class women reformers and the working-class mothers over child labor laws. This final sentence summarizes the nature of the disagreement and tells us it came about because of an oversight made by the women reformers. This is why (D) is the answer to this question.

I hope that helps!

Can anyone please post the explanation for the last question?
Thanks!

Posted from my mobile device

To pit one thing against another means to cause both things to be in opposition to or in competition with the other. So, when the previous sentence mentions that child labor legislation pitted women of different classes against one another, it means that working- and middle-class women disagreed about the legislation.

I hope that helps!

Q.1 The primary purpose of the passage is to

A explain why women reformers of the Progressive Era failed to achieve their goals – nothing about whether the women reformers achieved their goals or not is mentioned in the paragraph.
B discuss the origins of child labor laws in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries – the passage makes mention of the child labour laws and how women reformers didn’t understand the economic needs of the working women.It never mentions anything how child labour originated.
C compare the living conditions of working-class and middle-class women in the Progressive Era – the passage mentions about the economic condition of working class women it doesn’t compare between their living conditions.
D discuss an oversight on the part of women reformers of the Progressive Era – indeed in the paragraph the author discusses how the reformers failed to notice the economic conditions of the working class women.
E revise a traditional view of the role played by women reformers in enacting Progressive Era reforms- the passage doesn’t mention anything about any traditional view that anyone had about the women reformers.

Q2 The view mentioned in the highlight text of the passage refers to which of the following?

A Some working-class mothers' resistance to the enforcement of child labor laws – the view that is mentioned is the view that the reformers had.
B Reformers' belief that child labor and industrial home work should be abolished – correct
C Reformers' opinions about how working-class families raised their children- this view comes much later in the passage.
D Certain women historians' observation that there was a lack of consensus between women of different classes on the issue of child labor and industrial home work – the view mentioned here is what reformers had not the view of women historians.
E Working-class families' fears about the adverse consequences that child labor laws would have on their ability to earn an adequate living- this option states something that is true as per the passage but not the view mentioned in the paragraph.


Q3 The author of the passage mentions the observations of women historians (the highlight text)[women historians have recently observed] most probably in order to

A provide support for an assertion made in the preceding sentence – yes in the preceding sentence the author mentions an assertion that women were against on another in matter related to child and home industrial practices. Then makes the point about historians to elucidate an example of such difference.
B raise a question that is answered in the last sentence of the passage – it doesn’t raise any question
C introduce an opinion that challenges a statement made in the first sentence of the passage – no nothing in the passage goes against the first sentence in the passage. It was a general fact.
D offer an alternative view to the one attributed in the passage to working-class mothers – the passage doesn’t attribute any view about the working class mothers but rather mentions the view of they had about child labour legislation.
E point out a contradiction inherent in the traditional view of child labor reform as it is presented in the passage – the passage doesn’t mention any traditional view about child labour in the passage.

Q4. The passage suggests that which of the following was a reason for the difference of opinion between working class mothers and women reformers on the issue of child labor?

A Reformers' belief that industrial home work was preferable to child labor outside the home – the passage doesn’t mention any such view of the reformer.
B Reformers' belief that child labor laws should pertain to working conditions but not to pay – not mentioned in the passage.
C Working-class mothers' resentment at reformers' attempts to interfere with their parenting – no women reformers were not interfering with their parenting the made a comment
D Working-class mothers' belief that child labor was an inhumane practice – they didn’t have any such view as per the passage, rather child labor benefited them
E Working-class families' need for every employable member of their families to earn money – this was a reason. Due to this cause the working class women favored child labour

Q5 The author of the passage asserts which of the following about women reformers who tried to abolish child labor?

A They alienated working-class mothers by attempting to enlist them in agitating for progressive causes – out of passage statement
B They underestimated the prevalence of child labor among the working classes. – nothing of this sort could be derived from the passage.
C They were correct in their conviction that child labor was deplorable but shortsighted about the impact of child labor legislation on working-class families. – mentioned in this part of the sentence “This is not to dispute women reformers' perception of child labor as a terribly exploitative practice, but their understanding of child labor and their legislative solutions for ending it failed to take account of the economic needs of working-class families.”
D They were aggressive in their attempts to enforce child labor legislation, but were unable to prevent working-class families from circumventing them.- we don’t know whether the reformers were aggressive or they tried to prevent the working class families to circumvent.
E They were prevented by their nearly total disenfranchisement from making significant progress in child labor reform. – their disenfranchisement didn’t prevent them from making progress, however whether it prevented them from making significant progress or not we don’t know,

Q6. According to the passage, one of the most striking achievements of white middle-class women reformers during the progressive Era was

A gaining the right to vote in school elections – the women already had this right they didn’t need to gain it.
B mobilizing working-class women in the fight against child labor – out of passage statement.
C uniting women of different classes in grassroots activism – this victory was not mentioned in passage.
D improving the economic conditions of working- class families – the passage doesn’t mention whether they improved economic condition of working class families
E improving women's and children's working conditions – correct

GMATNinja Can you help explain why Asswer E is wrong.

Hi ChitrakshiMehta,

Could you elaborate in which question are you having the doubt.


Thanks.

bm2201 can you tell me why in Question Number 5 , C is right?

Hi Nipungupta9081,

Option C


can be inferred from the lines : "Yet reformers rarely understood this resistance in terms of the desperate economic situation of working-class families, interpreting it instead as evidence of poor parenting. This is not to dispute women reformers' perception of child labor as a terribly exploitative practice, but their understanding of child labor and their legislative solutions for ending it failed to take account of the economic needs of working-class families."


The question asks that the author mentions which of the following about the women reformers who tried to abolish child labor. From the passage, we can infer that women reformers considered the child labor as inhumane that should be outlawed but there were some working class women who had a different point of view. For them, child labor was one the way to increase the wages of the house hold. Now this economic desperation was not understood by women reformers.

Thus what the author asserts is that no doubt that women reformers were against child labor laws but they failed to understand the point of view of working women and working families class. Thus option C.


Hope This Helps.
Thanks.

Apologies AndrewN sir for bumping similar question from RC 3rd time in a row

I am sorry, I am wrong again in similar question.




To the reformers, child labor and industrial home work were equally inhumane practices that should be outlawed, but, as a number of women historians have recently observed, working-class mothers did not always share this view.
The next few sentences cover about this contradiction and conclude in the end : it failed to take account of the economic needs of working-class families.

In my first attempt, I shortlisted B and D
I rejected A: Ironically, though, child labor legislation pitted women of different classes against one another
I rejected A because the key point was to show contradiction between these women. I kept that key point in mind. A talks only something specific about that sentence. But ultimately everything leads to key point that both women views were different
After seeing answers, it seems correct

I rejected C: no challenge to the opinion
E: traditional view is not mentioned

I liked B because while reading the highlighted text, the question is raised why these women views were different .Finally in the end concluding point clarifies the reason. Shal I reject B because no such question is mentioned in the context?
I re-read D: offer an alternative view to the one attributed in the passage to working-class mothers --> offer an alternative view to the view to working-class mothers. But this view was not of working class mothers but was of reformers. So i reject D and choose B in the end.


language in all options seems no soft.

Sir, I loose confidence in these type of questions. The meaning seems clear today. but intention somehow messed up.
When I keep key point I choose B , when i kept discussion to local level ( related with context given in highlighted in sentence) then seems to choose A


Sir, please advise what steps can I follow to avoid errors in these type of questions again and again.

Apologies once again for bothering you for RC for similar type of question.

Hi,
Can anyone please explain in Q1, how come option D is correct over E?

D discuss an oversight on the part of women reformers of the Progressive Era
E revise a traditional view of the role played by women reformers in enacting Progressive Era reforms

focus on colored words
D says discuss something . what is something . something that women reformers oversight. What could be oversight? --> oversight of impact of child labor laws on working class mothers
anything that we can't get in the passage? nothing
All matches with thoughts stored in mind while reading the passage

E says revise? what revise , I didn't see anything revise . traditional view? what traditional view. view was not changed /revised . Just a perception of women reformers. They didn't change any view or revise anything. ( rvise means something was there and then you change it ) Here their view point was new , not established before.
Ok 2 points down already. Enough to reject this option.
role? again blockade. what role. I don't have anything to infer from the passage.

So you see how I solved D and E. Focus on key elements in the options. Refer back to your cached memory. If 2 options close by then see which one is primary factor .

I hope it helps:)

Hi VeritasKarishma GMATNinja

Q3 haunts me again. I am confused among A , B and E



D --> working-class mothers did not always share this view
share another view means alternate view . Seems D correct


B raise a question that is answered in the last sentence of the passage
>> reject because no question is raised literally with "?" . From the information perspective, child labor viewpoint started from these lines and in the end clarified about this view and added further information . Then B maybe close option .

A :provide support for an assertion made in the preceding sentence
Ironically, though, child labor legislation pitted women of different classes against one another.
seems correct but the highlighted sentence has more to talk about . I kept this option on hold but rejected over B and D


please suggest your approach to solve this type of question. I should focus on the idea/intention of that particular sentence or the overall idea.
Example: Ram buys items because he like shopping products example: Xyz, UvW etc.
If question is why author use example.
Idea1: he uses example because he wants to elaborate products .
Idea2: He uses example because he wants to emphasize ram like shopping
Idea2 encapsulate idea 1

So I focus on small idea or big idea while answering these type of question

I am still trying to find the right key for tackling these type of questions/


Please suggest. VeritasKarishma GMATNinja

We need to read the question very properly here:

The author of the passage mentions the observations of women historians most probably in order to ...


Whatever comes after "in order to" will tell us why the author mentioned the observations of women historians.

First let's find out WHAT the observations of women historians are.
They are "working-class mothers did not always share this view. "

Why does he mention this? Because it explains the previous sentence.

Ironically, though, child labor legislation pitted women of different classes against one another. To the reformers, child labor and industrial home work were equally inhumane practices that should be outlawed, but, as a number of women historians have recently observed, working-class mothers did not always share this view.

He says: Child labor legislation pitted women of different classes against one another.
To the reformers (middle class white women), child labour was inhumane and should be outlawed.
But working class women did not share this view. They considered child labour essential and not to be outlawed.

So option (A) is correct.
(A) provide support for an assertion made in the preceding sentence.

(B) raise a question that is answered in the last sentence of the passage

He doesn't mention their observation to raise any question. He does it to explain his previous sentence about women of different classes being pitted against each other.

(D) offer an alternative view to the one attributed in the passage to working-class mothers

He gives the observation to give the view of working class mothers. This is the view that the passages attributes to working class mothers. There is no alternative view attributed to working class mothers.