Simone de Beauvoirs feminism was heavily informed by existentialist

Question

Simone de Beauvoir’s feminism was heavily informed by existentialist ethics. Within this frame of thought, good and evil are expressed in human beings’ transcendence and “immanence,” respectively. Human existence can only be justified via continually expanding into the future by engaging in freely chosen projects—i.e., transcendence. Transcendence is thus a general goal for human beings, while its opposite—immanence—is considered a degradation of existence, from “liberty into constraint.” Freely chosen, immanence is a moral fault, but when inflicted, it is described as “oppression.” In a social environment where women are prevented from choosing and engaging in serious projects because of their status as women, their ability to transcend is systematically thwarted, so transcendence becomes a specifically feminist goal. De Beauvoir explains that women are viewed as intrinsically passive and immanent, in opposition to men who are meant to be active and transcendent.

In the society observed by de Beauvoir, “[women] live ... attached through residence, housework, economic condition, and social standing to certain men—fathers or husbands...” It is specifically women who are attached to men—not men to women nor women and men to each other. As de Beauvoir notes, the nature of this relationship, overlapping the assumption that men are the active transcendent half of humanity, leaves women in a position of forced immanence.

In the society observed by de Beauvoir, “  live ... attached through residence, housework, economic condition, and social standing to certain men—fathers or husbands...” It is specifically women who are attached to men—not men to women nor women and men to each other. As de Beauvoir notes, the nature of this relationship, overlapping the assumption that men are the active transcendent half of humanity, leaves women in a position of forced immanence.    1 
 1. According to the passage, Simone de Beauvoir believed which of the following?

I. In society, women are attached to men.
II. Women are intrinsically passive and immanent.
III. Self-constraint is worse than imposed constraint.

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

2 
 2. According to the passage, immanence is always

I. a moral fault
II. a degradation of existence
III. oppression

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

3 
 3. The passage could best be described as which of the following?

(A) an explanation of existentialist ethics and transcendence
(B) an explanation of feminist theory and female immanence
(C) a diatribe about immanence and a social injustice
(D) a description of a philosopher’s influences and framework
(E) an outline of social structure and conflicts

Manhattan GRE 5lb.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

3. The passage could best be described as which of the following?

Explanation

The first sentence of the passage tells you that existentialist ethics were a major influence on de Beauvoir’s philosophy. Much of the rest of the passage is devoted to explaining that philosophy.

(A)  is too broad, as the passage doesn’t explain all of existential ethics, of which transcendence is just one concept.

Similarly,  (B)  is too broad as the passage does not discuss all of feminist theory, just de Beauvoir’s.

(C)  is wrong — the passage is not a diatribe.

Choice (E)  is again too broad and off the point.

Answer: D

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. According to the passage, immanence is always

Explanation

In the first paragraph, the passage states that immanence is considered  “a degradation”  before going back and forth between immanence as a freely chosen moral fault and immanence as the result of oppression. Thus, immanence is not always characterized as either.

Answer: B

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OE

1. According to the passage, Simone de Beauvoir believed which of the following?

The first statement is justified because in the second paragraph, de Beauvoir is quoted as saying exactly so. The second statement is not justified because at the end of the first paragraph, de Beauvoir indicates that women  “are viewed as intrinsically passive and immanent.”  This does not mean that de Beauvoir believes this (in fact, the second paragraph gives good evidence that she believes precisely the reverse). The third statement is not justified because, although de Beauvoir views both self-constraint and imposed constraint (oppression) as negative, she does not indicate which type she considers to be worse. Though the passage says that  “immanence is a moral fault”  when someone chooses it, the first paragraph does not indicate whether de Beauvoir believes this. 
 
  Answer: A

jaswanthxvasudev · Answer

3. The passage could best be described as which of the following?

The correct answer is  (D) a description of a philosopher’s influences and framework .

The passage explicitly introduces a philosopher (Simone de Beauvoir), identifies the primary intellectual tradition that  influenced  her (existentialist ethics), and then lays out the conceptual  framework  (transcendence vs. immanence) she uses to build her feminist argument.

Analysis of the Options

(A) an explanation of existentialist ethics and transcendence:  This is too narrow. The passage explains these concepts only to serve the larger purpose of explaining de Beauvoir's feminist application of them. 
  (B) an explanation of feminist theory and female immanence:  While the passage does this, it's more specific than that. Its primary method is to show  how  de Beauvoir arrived at her theory by first explaining its philosophical underpinnings. This option misses the crucial context of the "influence." 
  (C) a diatribe about immanence and a social injustice:  A "diatribe" is a bitter, abusive verbal attack. The tone of the passage is academic and explanatory, not angry or abusive. 
  (D) a description of a philosopher’s influences and framework:  This is the most accurate and comprehensive choice. The text is structured to first establish the  influence  (existentialism) and then detail the resulting theoretical  framework  (transcendence/immanence) used by the philosopher. 
  (E) an outline of social structure and conflicts:  This is too general. The passage analyzes social structures and conflicts through the very specific philosophical lens of de Beauvoir's work, which is the main focus.

AkshayBhushan · Answer

Hello Its still not clear, In my opinion it should have been d, can you please explain in detail why the second option is ruled out?

guddo · Answer

1. According to the passage, Simone de Beauvoir believed which of the following?

I. In society, women are attached to men.
II. Women are intrinsically passive and immanent.
III. Self-constraint is worse than imposed constraint.

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

The main trap is the difference between what de Beauvoir herself believed and what society believed about women.  De Beauvoir believed women were socially placed in forced immanence ; she did not believe women were  naturally  passive or immanent.

I. In society, women are attached to men.

This is supported. The passage says that, in the society de Beauvoir observed, women live attached to men through residence, housework, economic condition, and social standing. So de Beauvoir believed this was true of that society.

II. Women are intrinsically passive and immanent.

This is not supported. The passage says women are viewed as intrinsically passive and immanent. That is society’s view, not de Beauvoir’s belief. In fact, de Beauvoir is criticizing this view.

III. Self-constraint is worse than imposed constraint.

This is not supported. The passage says freely chosen immanence is a moral fault, and imposed immanence is oppression. But it does not compare them or say that self-constraint is worse than imposed constraint.

Answer: (A)

SKP220292 · Answer

GMATNinja   Bunuel  For Q3, don't you think "philosopher's influences" is somewhat ambiguous? Are we talking about what influenced the dude or what the dude influenced? The former is given in the passage but the latter is not. I ruled out D because my interpretation was the latter. Is my understanding flawed here?

egmat · Answer

Hi SKP220292,

Good catch that the phrase  can  be read two ways in isolation. But the passage itself tells you which reading is intended, so your interpretation is the part to fix.

Let the passage resolve the ambiguity.  Look at the very first line:

"Simone de Beauvoir's feminism was heavily informed by existentialist ethics."

That sentence describes something that shaped  her  - existentialist ethics flowing  into  her thinking. The passage never once mentions anyone or anything that de Beauvoir herself went on to influence. So the only reading D's "influences" can match is the  inputs to her  reading - what influenced the philosopher.

Then the rest of the passage lays out the transcendence-vs-immanence system she built on top of that influence - which is the "framework" half of choice D. So D maps cleanly onto the two things actually in the text:  the influence on her  (existentialism) +  her framework  (transcendence/immanence). The "what she influenced" reading has zero support in the passage, so it isn't a live option here.

A quick parallel to lock it in:

Read this everyday line on instinct:

"The band's  influences  include jazz and the blues."

You instantly hear that as the styles that  shaped  the band - not bands the group later inspired. Same grammar, same default reading. Choice D's "a philosopher's influences" works exactly that way, and the opening sentence confirms it.

So your understanding wasn't crazy - the phrase is genuinely two-way in a vacuum. The move to build is letting the passage's content pick the reading for you, rather than deciding on the phrase alone.

Answer: D

SKP220292 · Answer

Hey  egmat

Thanks for your response but I have to disagree on 3 key points:

You said "But the passage itself tells you which reading is intended, so your interpretation is the part to fix." But to do so, I'd have to first assume that the option itself is not a misleading one and therefore my interpretation should be in line with what the passage suggested. That assumption is not justified, right?
 
 Incorrect options can and are misleading by design, right? So without knowing whether the option is the correct choice or not, how can an option inform my interpretation? It's the option that NEEDS to be unambiguous. An ambiguous option should not require the candidate to assume that the option is adherent to the sentiment expressed in the passage.  
 
 "The band's  influences  include jazz and the blues." - This example is not an analogous one because it is illogical.
 
 This example does not have 2 logical interpretations. A band cannot logically influence a genre, thereby ruling out that interpretation entirely. Only a genre can influence a band. 
 Whereas, "philosopher's influences" has 2 logical interpretations and hence the ambiguity. A philosopher can influence XYZ and a philosopher can in turn be influenced by XYZ, both are equally plausible.  
 
 You said "the two things actually in the text:  the influence on her"  - The passage never implies that the framework she used was an influence of something and not her own original framework that might have influenced others. In fact you say "influence on her" is an actual text in the passage by which I assume you mean "influence ON her" is verbatim written in the passage - sorry, but it is not.

I do agree that the framework half of D is valid - but by that logic I can say that "female immanence" half in option B is also valid. So what? it's the other half that is contentious in both options.

guddo · Answer

3. The passage could best be described as which of the following?

The passage explains Simone de Beauvoir’s feminism by first giving its existentialist background: transcendence, immanence, freedom, and oppression. Then it applies that framework to women’s social position.  So the passage is mainly describing de Beauvoir’s intellectual framework , not just explaining one feminist concept in isolation.

(A) an explanation of existentialist ethics and transcendence

This is too narrow. The passage does explain existentialist ethics and transcendence, but only as background for de Beauvoir’s view of women’s social condition.

(B) an explanation of feminist theory and female immanence

This is tempting, but too narrow. The passage is not simply about feminist theory or female immanence. It explains how de Beauvoir’s feminism is shaped by  existentialist ethics .

(C) a diatribe about immanence and a social injustice

This is too strong. A “diatribe” is an angry attack. The passage is explanatory and analytical, not emotional or hostile.

(D) a description of a philosopher’s influences and framework

This is correct. The passage describes de Beauvoir’s philosophical influence, existentialist ethics, and the framework she uses to explain women’s forced immanence.

(E) an outline of social structure and conflicts

This is too vague. The passage discusses one social structure, but its main purpose is to explain de Beauvoir’s philosophical framework.

Answer: (D)

Itsme007 · Answer

Why Statement II is FALSE (The Classic GMAT Trap)

"Women are intrinsically passive and immanent."

Evidence from Paragraph 1:

"De Beauvoir explains that women are viewed as intrinsically passive and immanent, in opposition to men who are meant to be active and transcendent."

Why it's wrong: De Beauvoir does not believe women are naturally or intrinsically passive. She argues that society views them that way to justify their status. In reality, she argues that women's transcendence is "systematically thwarted" and that they are placed in a position of "forced immanence" (oppression).

GMAT Takeaway: Always distinguish between what the author believes vs. what society/others in the passage view.

Simone de Beauvoirs feminism was heavily informed by existentialist

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

Simone de Beauvoirs feminism was heavily informed by existentialist

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