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In large part as a consequence of the feminist movement,
[#permalink]
27 Mar 2009, 10:46
1
Kudos
In large part as a consequence of the feminist movement, historians have focused a great deal of attention in recent years on determining more accurately the status of women in various periods. Although much has been accomplished for the modern period, premodern cultures have proved more difficult: sources are restricted in number, fragmentary, difficult to interpret, and often contradictory. Thus it is not particularly surprising that some earlier scholarship concerning such cultures has so far gone unchallenged. An example is Johann Bachofen’s 1861 treatise on Amazons, women-ruled societies of questionable existence contemporary with ancient Greece.
Starting from the premise that mythology and legend preserve at least a nucleus of historical fact, Bachofen argued that women were dominant in many ancient societies. His work was based on a comprehensive survey of references in the ancient sources to Amazonian and other societies with matrilineal customs—societies in which descent and property rights are traced through the female line. Some support for his theory can be found in evidence such as that drawn from Herodotus, the Greek “historian” of the fifth century B. C., who speaks of an Amazonian society, the Sauromatae, where the women hunted and fought in wars. A woman in this society was not allowed to marry until she had killed a person in battle.
Nonetheless, this assumption that the first recorders of ancient myths have preserved facts is problematic. If one begins by examining why ancients refer to Amazons, it becomes clear that ancient Greek descriptions of such societies were meant not so much to represent observed historical fact—real Amazonian societies—but rather to offer “moral lessons” on the supposed outcome of women’s rule in their own society. The Amazons were often characterized, for example, as the equivalents of giants and centaurs, enemies to be slain by Greek heroes. Their customs were presented not as those of a respectable society, but as the very antitheses of ordinary Greek practices.
Thus, I would argue, the purpose of accounts of the Amazons for their male Greek recorders was didactic, to teach both male and female Greeks that all-female groups, formed by withdrawal from traditional society, are destructive and dangerous. Myths about the Amazons were used as arguments for the male-dominated status quo, in which groups composed exclusively of either sex were not permitted to segregate themselves permanently from society. Bachofen was thus misled in his reliance on myths for information about the status of women. The sources that will probably tell contemporary historians most about women in the ancient world are such social documents as gravestones, wills, and marriage contracts. Studies of such documents have already begun to show how mistaken we are when we try to derive our picture of the ancient world exclusively from literary sources, especially myths.
21. The primary purpose of the passage is to
(A) compare competing new approaches to understanding the role of women in ancient societies (B) investigate the ramifications of Bachofen’s theory about the dominance of women in ancient societies (C) explain the burgeoning interest among historians in determining the actual status of women in various societies (D) analyze the nature of Amazonian society and uncover similarities between it and the Greek world (E) criticize the value of ancient myths in determining the status of women in ancient societies
22. All of the following are stated by the author as problems connected with the sources for knowledge of premodern cultures EXCEPT:
23. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about the myths recorded by the ancient Greeks?
I. They sometimes included portrayals of women holding positions of power. II. They sometimes contained elaborate explanations of inheritance customs. III. They comprise almost all of the material available to historians about ancient Greece.
(A) I only (B) III only (C) I and III only (D) II and III only (E) I, II, and III
24. Which of the following is presented in the passage as evidence supporting the author’s view of the ancient Greeks’ descriptions of the Amazons?
(A) The requirement that Sauromatae women kill in battle before marrying (B) The failure of historians to verify that women were ever governors of ancient societies (C) The classing of Amazons with giants and centaurs (D) The well-established unreliability of Herodotus as a source of information about ancient societies (E) The recent discovery of ancient societies with matrilineal customs
25. It can be inferred from the passage that the probable reactions of many males in ancient Greece to the idea of a society ruled by women could best characterized as
(A) confused and dismayed (B) wary and hostile (C) cynical and disinterested (D) curious but fearful (E) excited but anxious
26. The author suggests that the main reason for the persisting influence of Bachofen’s work is that
(A) feminists have shown little interest in ancient societies (B) Bachofen’s knowledge of Amazonian culture is unparalleled (C) reliable information about the ancient world is difficult to acquire (D) ancient societies show the best evidence of women in positions of power (E) historians have been primarily interested in the modern period
27. The author’s attitude toward Bachofen’s treatise is best described as one of
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Re: In large part as a consequence of the feminist movement,
[#permalink]
27 Mar 2009, 22:22
Doing RC at the airport?Great similarity My wife scolds me over RC saying "you dont understand English. GMAT is not yr cup of tea" Infact my daughter has learnt time management from me
thanks for writing these tid bits of life GMAT teaches many new things.
Re: In large part as a consequence of the feminist movement,
[#permalink]
29 Mar 2009, 20:05
ritula wrote:
Was out of city. so late in replying. my ans are: EBDCBCD
was atruck in Q23. Icandy can u pls provide sol for that. how did u arrive at A?
I have to say that I got lucky here on this Q. I mean the way the answer choices are
23. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about the myths recorded by the ancient Greeks?
I. They sometimes included portrayals of women holding positions of power. II. They sometimes contained elaborate explanations of inheritance customs. III. They comprise almost all of the material available to historians about ancient Greece.
(A) I only (B) III only (C) I and III only (D) II and III only (E) I, II, and III
If you look at them 4 of them have III. No where in the passage (Its been a couple of days now since I read this) the author suggests that all material is available. So if III is incorrect, So are the 4 that have III in them.
So it has to be A. This is one type of POE for the I,II,III questions and not every question will have this much luck. But we can definitely rule out 2/3 of the combination(s) because we know one of them in each combination is wrong and then we can focus on the other 2/3 with which we know one is right. If a combination contains one correct and one incorrect, it is still wrong. You know the game.
Re: In large part as a consequence of the feminist movement,
[#permalink]
29 Mar 2009, 21:03
Oh Thanks Icandy. i got misledby the line "His work was based on a comprehensive survey of references". I think the word "almost all of the material " in III is too extreme.
icandy wrote:
ritula wrote:
Was out of city. so late in replying. my ans are: EBDCBCD
was atruck in Q23. Icandy can u pls provide sol for that. how did u arrive at A?
I have to say that I got lucky here on this Q. I mean the way the answer choices are
23. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage about the myths recorded by the ancient Greeks?
I. They sometimes included portrayals of women holding positions of power. II. They sometimes contained elaborate explanations of inheritance customs. III. They comprise almost all of the material available to historians about ancient Greece.
(A) I only (B) III only (C) I and III only (D) II and III only (E) I, II, and III
If you look at them 4 of them have III. No where in the passage (Its been a couple of days now since I read this) the author suggests that all material is available. So if III is incorrect, So are the 4 that have III in them.
So it has to be A. This is one type of POE for the I,II,III questions and not every question will have this much luck. But we can definitely rule out 2/3 of the combination(s) because we know one of them in each combination is wrong and then we can focus on the other 2/3 with which we know one is right. If a combination contains one correct and one incorrect, it is still wrong. You know the game.
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Re: In large part as a consequence of the feminist movement,
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16 Aug 2019, 02:23
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Re: In large part as a consequence of the feminist movement, [#permalink]