Polygamy in Africa has been a popular topic for social research over t

Question

Polygamy in Africa has been a popular topic for social research over the past half-century; it has been analyzed by many distinguished minds and in various well-publicized works. In 1961, when Remi Clignet published his book Many Wives, Many Powers, he was not alone in sharing the view that in Africa co-wives may be perceived as direct and indirect sources of increased income and prestige. For instance, some observers argued that polygamous marriages are more able than monogamous marriages to produce many children, who can legitimately be seen as a form of wealth as well as of “this-world” immortality connected to the transmission of family names (as opposed to “other-world” immortality in an afterlife). Moreover, polygamy is rooted in and sanctioned by many ancient traditions, both cultural and religious; therefore, some assert that polygamy can provide a stabilizing function within societies frequently under stress from both internal and external forces.

By the 1970s, such arguments had become crystallized and popular. Many other African scholars who wrote on the subject became the new champions of this philosophy. For example, in 1983, John Mbiti proclaimed that polygamy is an accepted and respectable institution serving many useful social purposes. Similarly, G.K. Nukunya, in his paper “Polygamy as a Symbol of Status,” reiterated Mbiti’s idea that a plurality of wives is a legitimate sign of affluence and power in African society.

However, the colonial missionary voice provided consistent opposition to polygamy by viewing the practice as unethical and destructive of family life. While the missionaries propagated this view citing the authority of the Bible, they were convinced that Africans had to be coerced into partaking in the vision of monogamy understood by the Western culture. The missionary viewpoint even included, in some instances, dictating immediate divorce in the case of newly converted men who had already contracted polygamous marriages. Unfortunately, both the missionary voice and the scholarly voice did not consider the views of African women important. Although there was some awareness that women regarded polygamy as both a curse and a blessing, the distanced, albeit scientific, perspective of an outside observer predominated both on the pulpit and in scholarly writings.

Contemporary research in the social sciences has begun to focus on the protagonist’s voice in the study of culture, recognizing that the views and experiences of those who take part in a given reality ought to receive close examination. This privileging of the protagonist seems appropriate, particularly given that women in Africa have often used literary productions, which feature protagonists and other “actors” undergoing ordeals and otherwise taking active part in real life, to comment on marriage, family, and gender relations.    1 
 1. Which of the following best describes the main purpose of the passage above?

(A) To discuss scholarly works that view polygamy as a sign of prestige, respect, and affluence in the African society
(B) To trace the origins of the missionary opposition to African polygamy
(C) To argue for imposing restrictions on polygamy in the African society
(D) To explore the reasons for women’s acceptance of polygamy
(E) To discuss multiple perspectives on African polygamy and contrast them with contemporary research

2  
 2. The third paragraph of the passage plays which of the following roles?

(A) It discusses the rationales for viewing polygamy as an indication of prestige and affluence in the African society.
(B) It supports the author’s view that polygamy is unethical and destructive of family life.
(C) It contrasts the views of the colonial missionary with the position of the most recent contemporary research.
(D) It describes the views on polygamy held by the colonial missionary and indicates a flaw in this vision.
(E) It demonstrates that the colonial missionary was ignorant of the scholarly research on monogamy.

3  
 3. The passage provides each of the following EXCEPT

(A) the year of publication of Remi Clignet’s book Many Wives, Many Powers
(B) the year in which John Mbiti made a claim that polygamy is an accepted institution
(C) examples of African women’s literary productions devoted to family relations
(D) reasons for missionary opposition to polygamy
(E) current research perspectives on polygamy 
 
 4  
 4. According to the passage, the colonial missionary and the early scholarly researchers shared which of the following views on polygamy?

(A) Both considered polygamy a sign of social status and success.
(B) Neither accounted for the views of local women.
(C) Both attempted to limit the prevalence of polygamy.
(D) Both pointed out polygamy’s destructive effects on family life.
(E) Both exhibited a somewhat negative attitude toward polygamy.

5  
 5. Which of the following statements can most properly be inferred from the passage?

(A) Nukunya’s paper “Polygamy as a Symbol of Status” was not written in 1981.
(B) John Mbiti adjusted his initial view on polygamy, recognizing that the experiences of African women should receive closer attention.
(C) Remi Clignet’s book Many Wives, Many Powers was the first well-known scholarly work to proclaim that polygamy can be viewed as a symbol of prestige and wealth.
(D) Under the influence of the missionary opposition, polygamy was proclaimed illegal in Africa as a practice “unethical and destructive of family life.”
(E) A large proportion of the scholars writing on polygamy in the 1970s and 1980s were of African descent.

6  
 6. Which of the following examples fit the model of cultural studies cited in the final paragraph of the passage?

Indicate all that apply.

A. A documentary about the modern-day slave trade that relied on interviews with those who had been enslaved
B. A study of relationship changes caused by long-term separation, using letters exchanged between prisoners and their loved ones
C. An experimental theater piece about blindness in which audience members were required to wear a blindfold

7  
 7. Select the sentence in the first two paragraphs that cites a specific benefit of polygamy without mentioning the economic ramifications.

“polygamy can provide a stabilizing function within societies frequently under stress from both internal and external forces.”

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OE

1. Which of the following best describes the main purpose of the passage above?

On Main Idea questions, be sure to avoid extreme answer choices and those answers that refer to only a part of the passage rather than the whole text. Typically, test writers will include incorrect answers that will be factually true but will describe the purpose of just one paragraph. The Point of this passage is arguably split in at least two pieces. The author wants to convey not only that two views of polygamy in Africa (those of the early scholars and of the missionaries) were unfortunately limited, but also that current research is addressing this limitation by examining the perspectives of the women protagonists.

A)  Scholarly works that view polygamy positively are discussed only in the first two paragraphs of the passage. This answer is too narrow to capture the purpose of the entire text.

B)    While the third paragraph discusses the missionary opposition and traces its sources to the Bible, this analysis is not central to the entire passage.

C)    While the text discusses multiple perspectives on polygamy, it does not argue in favor of or against restricting polygamy.

D)    The passage provides no information about the reasons that women accept polygamy, other than mentioning that they view it    “as both a curse and a blessing.”

E. CORRECT.    The entire passage is devoted to the discussion of multiple perspectives on polygamy. The first two paragraphs review scholarly works that view polygamy as a sign of prestige and respect, while the third paragraph offers an opposing view. Finally, the concluding paragraph contrasts both of these perspectives with contemporary research.  
 
  Answer: E

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OE

2. The third paragraph of the passage plays which of the following roles?

On this type of question, it is helpful to reread the topic sentence of the paragraph at issue. The topic sentence is typically in the first or second sentence of the paragraph. Furthermore, look for the answer that effectively captures the entire paragraph and avoids making unjustified statements.

A)    These rationales are discussed in the first and second rather than the third paragraph.

B)    While the third paragraph discusses the views of the colonial missionary, nothing in the passage suggests that the author shares this vision.

C)    While the third paragraph presents the position of the colonial missionary, the most recent contemporary research is discussed only in the fourth paragraph of the passage.

D) CORRECT.    The third paragraph describes the position of the colonial missionary and indicates a flaw in this perspective. The missionary’s position is described in the opening sentence of the paragraph:  “However, the colonial missionary voice provided consistent opposition to polygamy by viewing the practice as unethical and destructive of family life.”  Furthermore, after - discussing this position, the author goes on to identify a deficiency in this reasoning:  “Unfortunately, both the missionary voice and the scholarly voice did not consider the views of African women important.”   
 
  E)  While the third paragraph discusses the perspective of the colonial missionary, nothing is mentioned in the passage about the attitude of the missionary toward scholarly research on monogamy. 
  
  Answer: D

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OE

3. The passage provides each of the following EXCEPT

On Detail questions, look for signal words. Since this is an EXCEPT question, find the statements that were mentioned in the passage and eliminate them from consideration. Make sure to use proper nouns (such as Remi Clignet) and dates (such as 1983) as your signals. Since dates and capitalized nouns stand out in the text, they can speed up the process of verifying the answer choices. (Of course, be aware that a wrong answer choice might include words from the passage but fail to include the idea behind the words.)

A)  The second sentence of the opening paragraph states that Remi Clignet published his book Many Wives, Many Powers in 1961. 
  
  B)  According to the second sentence of the second paragraph,   John Mbiti proclaimed that polygamy is an accepted and   respectable institution in 1983.

C) CORRECT.    The concluding paragraph mentions that  “women in Africa have often used literary productions ... to comment on marriage”  but provides no specific examples of such works.

D)    According to the third paragraph of the passage, the colonial missionary opposed polygamy because it considered this practice  “unethical and destructive of family life.”

E)  The last paragraph indicates that contemporary research is focused on examining the voice of women.

Answer: C

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OE

4. According to the passage, the colonial missionary and the early scholarly researchers shared which of the following views on polygamy?

Glance at your notes:  paragraph 3  offers a comparison of the views of the colonial missionary and those of early scholars. Note that the correct answer will outline the trait that was shared by both groups, while incorrect answers will typically restate characteristics that were true of only one rather than both groups.

A)  While the early scholarly researchers indeed viewed polygamy as a sign of prestige, this perspective was not shared by the colonial missionary, who declared it  “unethical and destructive of family life.”

B) CORRECT.   This statement is explicitly supported by the penultimate sentence of the third paragraph:  “Unfortunately, both the missionary voice and the scholarly voice did not consider the views of African women important.”  perspective.

C)  While the passage suggests that the colonial missionary may have attempted to limit the prevalence of polygamy by coercing Africans  “into partaking in the vision of monogamy,”  nothing in the passage suggests that the scholarly research shared this

D)  This view was characteristic of the colonial missionary, as discussed in the third paragraph, but not of the early scholarly research.

E) According to the third paragraph, the colonial missionary certainly maintained a negative attitude toward polygamy, considering this practice  “unethical and destructive of family life.”  By contrast, early scholarly research considered this phenomenon  “a sign of affluence and power.”  Nothing in the passage suggests that the early scholars had a negative attitude toward polygamy. 
 
  Answer: B

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OE

5. Which of the following statements can most properly be inferred from the passage?

Look for an answer that can be inferred strictly based on the information given in the passage, without making any additional assumptions. Typically, the correct answer must be very closely connected to the actual text of the passage and directly supported by one or two sentences. Avoid answers that may be seen as plausible but would require information not provided in the passage.

A) CORRECT.    The second paragraph states that Nukunya’s work  “Polygamy as a Symbol of Status” “reiterated Mbiti’s idea that a plurality of wives is a legitimate sign of affluence and power.”  Since Nukunya’s work reiterated the views of Mbiti,  “Polygamy as a Symbol of Status”  must have been written after Mbiti expressed his perspective on polygamy. According to the text, it was not until 1983 that  “John Mbiti proclaimed that polygamy is an accepted and respectable institution.”  Therefore, Nukunya’s  “Polygamy as a Symbol of Status”  must have been written in 1983 or later; you can conclude that it was not written in 1981.

B)  While the text mentions that contemporary research acknowledges that the perspective of African women should receive closer attention, nothing in the passage suggests that Mbiti subsequently embraced this view and changed his initial stance.

C)  In the second sentence of the opening paragraph, the author states that  “when Remi Clignet published his book Many Wives, Many Powers, he was not alone in sharing the view...”  suggesting that at the time of publication, other scholars viewed polygamy as a symbol of prestige and wealth. Therefore, Clignet’s book may not have been the first to give this perspective.

D)  While the passage mentions that the colonial missionary opposed polygamy, viewing it as  “unethical and destructive,”  nothing in the passage suggests that polygamy was declared illegal in Africa.

E)  The passage does say that many African scholars in this era championed polygamy, but the passage does not indicate whether these scholars represented  “a large proportion”  of all of the  “scholars writing on polygamy.”

Answer: A

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OE

6. Which of the following examples fit the model of cultural studies cited in the final paragraph of the passage?

It might be helpful to reread the final paragraph before attempting to answer the question. The first sentence indicates that  “contemporary research ... has begun to focus on the protagonist’s voice ... recognizing that the views and experiences of those who take part in a given reality ought to receive close examination.” 
   
  A) CORRECT   . In this example, those actually involved in the slave trade are being interviewed about it. This is a prime example of protagonist-centric research.

B) CORRECT   . In this example, the researchers are studying letters written by the very people who are experiencing the separation.

C. In this example, audience members are being asked to step into the shoes of the blind. However, this does not represent a privileging of the protagonists (in this case, blind people), because no time is given to actual blind people describing their personal experience.  
 
  Answer: A and B

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OE

7. Select the sentence in the first two paragraphs that cites a specific benefit of polygamy without mentioning the economic ramifications.

A number of sentences can be eliminated, including the third sentence of the first paragraph (“a form of wealth”) and the last sentence of the second paragraph (“a legitimate sign of affluence”). 
  
 The second sentence of the second paragraph fails to cite a specific benefit;  “many useful social purposes”  is very general. A better answer (and the correct one) is the final sentence of the first paragraph, which says that  “polygamy can provide a stabilizing function within societies frequently under stress from both internal and external forces.”  This describes a specific benefit without mentioning any economic factors.

Polygamy in Africa has been a popular topic for social research over t

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