The massive inux of women cyclistsmaking up at least a third of the

Question

The massive inﬂux of women cyclists—making up at least a third of the total market—was perhaps the most striking and profound social consequence of the mid 1890s cycling boom. Although the new, improved bicycle had appealed immediately to a few privileged women, its impact would have been modest had it not attracted a greater cross section of the female population. It soon became apparent that many of these pioneer women bicyclists had not taken up the sport as an idle pastime. Rather, they saw cycling as a noble cause to be promoted among all women as a means to improve the general female condition. Not only would cycling encourage healthy outdoor exercise, they reasoned, it would also hasten long-overdue dress reform. To feminists, the bicycle afrmed nothing less than the dignity and equality of women.    1 
 1. Which of the following statements about women cyclists is supported by the passage?

I. The newly improved bicycle of the mid-1890s appealed mostly to women in a privileged position.
II. The great majority of women in the mid-1890s considered cycling an idle pastime.
III. Women bicyclists promoted cycling as a healthy form of outdoor exercise.

A. I only
B. III only
C. I and II only
D. I and III only
E. II and III only

2 
 2. Which of the following does the passage suggest about pioneer women cyclists?

I. They saw cycling as a means to promote the advancement of women.
II. They argued that cycling would encourage women to get involved in a variety of noble causes.
III. They provided several reasons for a cross section of the female population to use the bicycle.

A. I only
B. III only
C. I and II only
D. I and III only
E. II and III only

3 
 3. Which of the following best describes the function of the second sentence (“Although . . . population”)?

A. It corrects a common misconception regarding the use of the bicycle in the mid-1890s.
B. It elaborates on a claim made in the previous sentence regarding a social consequence of the cycling boom.
C. It provides a context in which to understand the increased popularity of bicycle riding among privileged women.
D. It explains why cycling attracted such a signifcant cross section of women.
E. It describes the demographic characteristics of the consumer market for bicycles in the mid-1890s.

RC Butler 2022  -  Practice Two RC Passages Everyday.   
Passage # 281 Date: 14-Jul-2022
 This question is a part of RC Butler 2022 .  Click here for Details

summerindecember · Answer

hi  Sajjad1994

For question no. 2, does choice "I. They saw cycling as a means to promote the advancement of women." expressed in the passage in the last sentence: "To feminists, the bicycle afrmed nothing less than the dignity and equality of women"?

Does afrmd means affirm like proclaim?
"To feminists, the bicycle  afrmed  nothing less than the dignity and equality of women."

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. Which of the following does the passage suggest about pioneer women cyclists?

Difficulty Level:   650

Explanation

Choices I and III are correct.  The question asks what the passage suggests about pioneer women cyclists.

Choice I  is correct: The passage states that pioneer women cyclists saw cycling  “as a means to improve the general female condition”  and believed that it  “affirmed nothing less than the dignity and equality of women.”

Choice II is incorrect:  The passage states that bicycle pioneers saw cycling itself as a noble cause but does not mention any other noble causes to which cycling would lead.

Choice III is correct.  The passage mentions that pioneer women cyclists saw at least two independent reasons for all women to use bicycles: they believed that cycling would  “encourage healthy outdoor exercise”  as well as  “hasten long-overdue dress reform.”

Answer: D

Kashu18 · Answer

Can someone please explain why statement I is not supported by the passage in question 1?

Question 1:  1. Which of the following statements about women cyclists is supported by the passage?

I. The newly improved bicycle of the mid-1890s appealed mostly to women in a privileged position.
II. The great majority of women in the mid-1890s considered cycling an idle pastime.
III. Women bicyclists promoted cycling as a healthy form of outdoor exercise.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Hi Kashu18

The passage says  “the new, improved bicycle had appealed immediately to a few privileged women,”    but   the impact would have been modest  without attracting a greater cross section.  So it initially appealed to a few privileged women, but not mostly to them (especially later). The wording  “appealed mostly to”  implies they were the primary or majority group. Hence not supported.

WiziusCareers1 · Answer

Question 1
Answer: B. III only

Statement I: (Incorrect - Half-Right Trap)  While the passage says the bicycle appealed "immediately" to a few privileged women, it notes that the real impact came from attracting a "greater cross section of the female population." It does not support the idea that the cyclists were mostly privileged; in fact, women made up a third of the total market.

Statement II: (Incorrect - Opposite)  The passage explicitly states that many pioneer women "had not taken up the sport as an idle pastime," but rather as a "noble cause."

Statement III: (Correct)  The passage states: "Not only would cycling encourage healthy outdoor exercise, they reasoned..." This confirms that promotion of the sport included its benefits as healthy exercise.

Question 2
Answer: D. I and III only

Statement I: (Correct)  The text states that pioneer women saw cycling as a means to "improve the general female condition" and that feminists saw it as affirming the "dignity and equality of women." This constitutes the advancement of women.

Statement II: (Incorrect - Out of Scope)  While the women saw cycling itself as a noble cause, the passage does not suggest they used cycling to encourage women to join other, unrelated noble causes.

Statement III: (Correct)  The pioneer women provided several reasons: healthy exercise, dress reform, and the affirmation of dignity and equality. These were intended to attract a "greater cross section" of women.

Question 3

A. (Incorrect - Out of Scope)  The passage doesn't mention a "common misconception." It provides a historical narrative of what actually happened.

B. (Correct)  The first sentence claims the "massive influx of women" was the most striking "social consequence." The second sentence elaborates on this by explaining that this consequence depended on reaching a "greater cross section" of women beyond just the privileged few.

C. (Incorrect - Wrong-Part Trap)  The sentence actually focuses on the fact that the bicycle's impact would have been modest if it stayed only with privileged women; its focus is on the broader population, not providing context for the privileged ones.

D. (Incorrect - Out of Scope)  The second sentence states that the bicycle had to attract a cross section to be impactful, but it does not explain the specific reasons why they were attracted (the "why" comes later in the passage, regarding dress reform and equality).

E. (Incorrect - Half-Right/Word-Matching)  While it mentions "privileged women" and a "cross section," the primary function of the sentence is to support the previous claim about the "striking social consequence," not merely to list demographics.

The massive inux of women cyclistsmaking up at least a third of the

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

The massive inux of women cyclistsmaking up at least a third of the

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

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From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards