Men are primarily and secondarily socialized into believing certain

Question

Men are primarily and secondarily socialized into believing certain characteristics are definitive in determining their masculinity. These characteristics range from playing violently to not crying when they are injured. The socialization of masculinity in our society begins as early as the first stages of infancy, with awareness of adult gender role differences being internalized by children as young as two years old. Studies show that advertising imagery equates masculinity with violence by portraying the trait of aggression as instrumental to establishing their masculinity. Lee Bowker, who researched the influence of advertisements on youth, asserts that toy advertisements featuring only boys depict aggressive behavior and that the aggressive behavior produces positive consequences more often than negative. Bowker also looked at commercials with boys that contain references to domination. His results indicated that 68.6% of the commercials positioned toward boys contain incidents of verbal and physical aggression. However there were no cross gender displays of aggressive behavior. Interestingly, not one single-sex commercial featuring girls showed any act of aggression. Bowker’s research helps explain that it is not just the reinforcement of a child’s close caretakers that lends legitimacy to aggressive masculine tendencies but society as a whole, using the medium of television.

William Pollack, a Harvard clinical psychologist, talks about how males have been put in a "gender straightjacket" that leads to anger, despair and often violence. Pollack states that society asks men to put a whole range of feelings and emotions behind a mask and shames them if they display any emotion. Pollack contends that boys are ‘shame phobic’, even killing, in extreme cases, to avoid dishonor. It appears that the standard defined by society allows men to express their emotion only through anger. Ironically, though these rigid stereotypes of what it means to be a man have been inculcated from an early age, men are often criticized for being one-dimensional in
their behavior and emotions.

Women often verbalize a desire for males to be sensitive and express their emotions. But male insensitivity is the culmination of a societal indoctrination begun at birth. Realistically, men are in a  damned if they do, damned if they don’t  situation. If they fail to show their emotions, they are berated for being detached from the essence of what constitutes a human being. On the other hand, if a male decides to expose his emotions, he is often branded effeminate and regarded as inferior to other males who stick closer to their gender’s traditional doctrine.    1 
 1. According to the passage, the television commercials examined by Bowker

A. Showed boys in more acts of verbal and physical aggression than of domination
B. Showed boys in more acts of domination than of verbal and physical aggression
C. Showed boys in acts of verbal and physical aggression only towards other boys
D. Showed boys in acts of verbal and physical aggression only towards other girls
E. Showed boys in acts of verbal and physical aggression towards other boys and girls

2 
 2. According to Pollack, one of the reasons for male violence is that

A. Society shames men who display feelings and emotions other than anger
B. Men kill in extreme cases to avoid dishonor
C. Men are often criticized for being one-dimensional in their behavior and emotions
D. Society uses television as a symbol of its desires
E. Reinforcement from child’s close caretakers lends legitimacy to aggressive masculine behavior

3 
 3. The passage suggests that, when compared with television advertisement featuring boys, advertisements that had only girls were found

A. To have more references to domination
B. To be 68.6% less aggressive
C. To be remarkably similar in focus and content
D. To be replete with extensive examples of cross gender aggression
E. To be void of any acts of aggression

100mitra · Answer

Paraphrasing:   {8 mins - 2/3 correct}
  Para 1:  
* Men are socialized with certain characteristics “masculinity” from their first stages of infancy to adult gender role, 
 relates this behaviour adaptation from “advertising” to establishing men masculinity.
*  Lee Bowker  research and observation link commercials with boys that 
 contain references to domination, were no cross-gender displays of aggressive behavior
* Aggressive masculine tends from reinforcement of child’s close caretakers and medium of television
  Para 2:    William Pollack  states that society asks men to 
put a whole range of feelings and emotions behind a mask and shames them if they display any emotion, 
defined by society allows men to express their emotion only through anger,
often criticized for being one-dimensional in their behavior and emotions.
  Para 3:    Conclusion , male insensitivity is the culmination of a societal indoctrination begun at birth

1. According to the passage, the television commercials examined by Bowker
Explanation: as mentioned in the passage,  
“ Bowker also looked at commercials with boys that contain references to domination. 
His results indicated that 68.6% of the commercials positioned toward boys contain incidents of verbal and physical aggression ”

A. Showed boys in more acts of verbal and physical aggression than of domination   - Wrong  
B. Showed boys in more acts of domination than of verbal and physical aggression   - Wrong  
  C. Showed boys in acts of verbal and physical aggression only towards other boys - Correct  
D. Showed boys in acts of verbal and physical aggression only towards other girls   - Wrong  
E. Showed boys in acts of verbal and physical aggression towards other boys and girls   - Wrong

2. According to Pollack, one of the reasons for male violence is that  
A. Society shames men who display feelings and emotions other than anger 
  Correct: as mentioned in the passage, we can infer,
“Pollack states that society asks men to put a whole range of feelings and emotions 
behind a mask and shames, them if they display any emotion”

B. Men kill in extreme cases to avoid dishonor
  - Wrong   as mentioned in the passage, 
‘Pollack contends that boys are ‘shame phobic’, even killing, in extreme cases, to avoid dishonor.”

C. Men are often criticized for being one-dimensional in their behavior and emotions
  - Wrong   as mentioned in the passage, 
“Though these rigid stereotypes of what it means to be a man have been inculcated from an early age, 
men are often criticized for being one-dimensional in their behavior and emotions.”

D. Society uses television as a symbol of its desires
E. Reinforcement from child’s close caretakers lends legitimacy to aggressive masculine behavior
  - Wrong   this has not explained by Willian Pollack but explained by Lee Bowker
Bowker’s research helps explain that it is not just the reinforcement of a child’s close caretakers that lends legitimacy to aggressive masculine tendencies but society as a whole, using the medium of television.

3. The passage suggests that, when compared with 
television advertisement  featuring boys , 
advertisements that  had only girls  were found  
A. To have more references to domination
  - Wrong   as mentioned in the passage, 
“Bowker also looked at commercials with boys that contain references to domination”

B. To be 68.6% less aggressive
  - Wrong   as mentioned in the passage, 
“Lee Bowker results indicated that 68.6% of the commercials positioned 
toward boys contain incidents of verbal and physical aggression”

C. To be remarkably similar in focus and content
  - Wrong  as mentioned in the passage, 
“Women often verbalize a desire for males to be sensitive and express their emotions”

D. To be replete with extensive examples of cross gender aggression
  - Wrong   as mentioned in the passage, 
“However there were no cross-gender displays of aggressive behavior.”

E. To be void of any acts of aggression
  Correct: as mentioned in the passage,  
" Interestingly, not one single-sex commercial featuring girls showed any act of aggression "

Anshuman0902 · Answer

too 4 mins and got 2/3 correct 
Can someone provide explanation to question no.1 !

JAI HIND !

AndrewN · Answer

Hello,  Anshuman0902 . If you took only four minutes to read the passage and answer the three questions, then perhaps you went too fast. Six minutes (or thereabout) would be fine for a three-question set, particularly with a lengthier passage. I spent about three minutes on the first question alone, factoring in the reading. In any case, the first question fits a Supporting Idea(s) mold, so we know we can locate the answer directly in the text. Bowker is mentioned in the first paragraph, and since the question asks about  television commercials , rather than ads in general, we just have to see what the passage says about these commercials.

The first two lines of the excerpt go hand in hand, with  incidents of verbal and physical aggression  serving as examples of—or references to— domination. How do we know that the two align? Because the sentence just before the one I started the quote with above outlines such a relationship:  Studies show that advertising imagery equates masculinity with violence by portraying the trait of aggression as instrumental to establishing their masculinity.  To paraphrase, when it comes to advertising, masculinity equals violence, and establishing masculinity is synonymous with showing dominance. With this understanding, we can look at the answer choices:

Right away, we can get rid of (A) and (B), since no comparison is made between the number of acts of aggression and those of domination. Again, the two are described in the passage as one and the same. (C) is accurate. The latter two lines of the excerpt above rule out boy-girl  aggressive behavior  and girl-exclusive acts of aggression. As such, (D) and (E) directly contradict the next to last line:  cross gender  means boy-to-girl. The only answer choice that can be defended is (C), so that is why we should choose it.

Good luck with your studies.

- Andrew

VerbalBot · Answer

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Men are primarily and secondarily socialized into believing certain

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