In large part as a consequence of the feminist movement, historians

Question

5-2 SECTION A 21-27

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.  
 1 
 1.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

2 
 2. All of the following are stated by the author as problems connected with the sources for knowledge of premodern cultures EXCEPT:

(A) partial completeness
(B) restricted accessibility
(C) difficulty of interpretation
(D) limited quantity
(E) tendency toward contradiction

3 
 3. 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

4 
 4. 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

5 
 5. 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

6 
 6. 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

7 
 7. The author’s attitude toward Bachofen’s treatise is best described as one of

(A) qualified approval
(B) profound ambivalence
(C) studied neutrality
(D) pointed disagreement
(E) unmitigated hostility

AnirudhaS · Answer

What I understood from the passage is (in my own words), over-reliance on myths is detrimental. For e.g. reliance of Greek mythology on amazons is wrong, because the Greeks used it to convey a message (segregated groups depending on sex is wrong) which they thought was right.

1.​The primary purpose of the passage is to

(A) compare competing new approaches to understanding the role of women in ancient societies 
 No not really. There is no competing approach here. All the author says is he is wary about Bachofen's work. And in the last para he gives a proof supporting his argument.
 
(B) investigate the ramifications of Bachofen’s theory about the dominance of women in ancient societies
 Is there any ramifications (consequences)? No.

(C) explain the burgeoning interest among historians in determining the actual status of women in various societies
  This is definitely not the main purpose.

(D) analyze the nature of Amazonian society and uncover similarities between it and the Greek world
 If I am sure about anything, this is it. The author does not try to compare the Greeks and Amazons. The author only says how the Greeks perceived the Amazons and wrote it in their mythologies.

(E) criticize the value of ancient myths in determining the status of women in ancient societies 
  this for me is the closest. He does criticize how myths determine the status of women in ancient societies. In all the 4 paragraphs this is the underlying thought of the author

AnirudhaS · Answer

2. ​All of the following are stated by the author as problems connected with the sources for knowledge of premodern cultures EXCEPT:

(A) partial completeness
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.

(B) restricted accessibility
 No mention of this. This is our answer.

(C) difficulty of interpretation
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.

(D) limited quantity
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.

(E) tendency toward contradiction
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  .

AnirudhaS · Answer

3. ​​​​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.
 Bachofen argued that women were dominant in many ancient societies. And his work was supported by Greek historian Herodotus's work. hence this statement can be inferred from the passage.

II.​They sometimes contained elaborate explanations of inheritance customs.
 It only talks about - matrilineal customs. But no explanations as such.

III.​They comprise almost all of the material available to historians about ancient Greece.
 In the last paragraph it says there are other material - "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."

AnirudhaS · Answer

4. ​​​​​​​​​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
 This supports Bachofen's view.

(B) The failure of historians to verify that women were ever governors of ancient societies
 Definitely not. Do not know what to say here.

(C) The classing of Amazons with giants and centaurs
 "The Amazons were often characterized, for example, as the equivalents of giants and centaurs, enemies to be slain by Greek heroes." This says that the author thinks that the Greek mythology's portrayal of Amazons was wrong.

(D) The well-established unreliability of Herodotus as a source of information about ancient societies
 To be honest I chose this option first. I think the author does think Greek myths (like Herodotus's work) is unreliable. Is it well-established though? I am not sure. Need experts comments on this one.

(E) The recent discovery of ancient societies with matrilineal customs
 No, author is against a specific portrayal of Amazons.

AnirudhaS · Answer

5. ​​​​​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 
 not confused.

(B) wary and hostile 
 This is the easiest of the lot. Definitely hostile.

(C) cynical and disinterested
 not disinterested and not cynical

(D) curious but fearful
 not fearful

(E) excited but anxious
 neither

AnirudhaS · Answer

This question boils down to two choices, so i am not even going to bother with the others -

6. ​​​​​​​​The author suggests that the main reason for the persisting influence of Bachofen’s work is that

(C) reliable information about the ancient world is difficult to acquire
 The explanation is given in (E)'s answer.

(E) historians have been primarily interested in the modern period
 This is completely true. However, it also does not mean that historians have been completely disinterested in the pre-mordern period. Whatever little work the modern scholars have done, might be sufficient to disregard Bachofen's work. They cannot disregard his work because - "reliable info is difficult to acquire" Option C

AnirudhaS · Answer

7. ​​​​​​The author’s attitude toward Bachofen’s treatise is best described as one of

(A) qualified approval 
 Definitely not approval.

(B) profound ambivalence
 ambivalence = mixed feelings/ contradictory thoughts / whether to give the gmat again or not? Anyways back to the topic - our author is pretty sure that he does not agree with Bachofen

(C) studied neutrality
 Not neutral. he does not agree with Bachofen.

(D) pointed disagreement
 Yes he disagrees.

(E) unmitigated hostility
 this is too strong.

sushmitha2 · Answer

I'll take a stab at this one. Feedback is appreciated!

Summary: passage is about the Feminist movement over time. Because of lack of information, ideas of historical views have gone largely unchallenged (ex Bachofen's- Amazon). In his writing, women were portrayed as dominant. However, these aren't facts; they are myths- moral lessons for the community. That misled Bachofen's to make false conclusions. Other sources are more likely to give a good picture.

1. The primary purpose of the passage is to

Prethinking: show that historical feminist movement was portrayed incorrectly

(A) compare competing new approaches to understanding the role of women in ancient societies 
 There aren't competing theories mentioned. Only one example shown. 
(B) investigate the ramifications of Bachofen's theory about the dominance of women in ancient societies 
 Passage does explain the consequences of B's theory, but only to prove that myths shouldn't be used in determining female status 
(C) explain the burgeoning interest among historians in determining the actual status of women in various societies 
 Goal for neither historians nor author is to determine the actual status of women 
(D) analyze the nature of Amazonian society and uncover similarities between it and the Greek world 
 A's society was only brought into the passage to explain how wrong B's interpretation was- not to show similarities 
(E) criticize the value of ancient myths in determining the status of women in ancient societies 
 Correct answer: Author is criticizing the value of myths. He advocates using other sources to analyze "Starting from the premise that mythology and legend preserve at least a nucleus of historical fact,..." 
 
2. All of the following are stated by the author as problems connected with the sources for knowledge of premodern cultures EXCEPT

1st paragraph

(A) partial completeness 
(B) restricted accessibility 
 correct answer. notice passage says "restricted in numbers" which is choice D 
(C) difficulty of interpretation 
(D) limited quantity 
(E) tendency toward contradiction

3. 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.  definitely- "Bachofen argued that women were dominant in many ancient societies."  
II. They sometimes contained elaborate explanations of inheritance customs.  I thought this may be true, but no answer choice with I and II. The passage mentions "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. " So, perhaps the myths don't contain explanations of inheritance customs. 
III. They comprise almost all of the material available to historians about ancient Greece.  False, author mentions gravestones, wills, marriage contracts in the last paragraph

(A) I only  correct 
(B) III only 
(C) I and III only 
(D) II and III only 
(E) I, II, and III

4. Which of the following is presented in the passage as evidence supporting the author's view of the ancient Greeks' descriptions of the Amazons?

"The Amazons were often characterized, for example, as the equivalents of giants and centaurs, enemies to be slain by Greek heroes. " 
(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  correct 
(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

. 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 be characterized as

(A) confused and dismayed 
(B) wary and hostile  "to teach both male and female Greeks that all-female groups, formed by withdrawal from traditional society, are destructive and dangerous."  
(C) cynical and disinterested 
(D) curious but fearful 
(E) excited but anxious

6. The author suggests that the main reason for the persisting influence of Bachofen's work is that

Work went unchallenged. Why? because of "sources are restricted in number, fragmentary, difficult to interpret, and often contradictory." 
(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  correct 
(D) ancient societies show the best evidence of women in positions of power 
(E) historians have been primarily interested in the modern period

7. The author's attitude toward Bachofen's treatise is best described as one of

author doesn't agree with B's treatise, but wouldn't go to an extreme negative side 
(A) qualified approval 
(B) profound ambivalence 
(C) studied neutrality 
(D) pointed disagreement  correct 
(E) unmitigated hostility

adstudy · Answer

sushmitha2 - Great and detailed explaination. I also got confused for Q3 while answering and marked A as the answer. Of course, similar to you, I would have also marked I and II, if it was there. But upon reviewing I found one thing with Statement II which helped me understand why it was not the correct option. Statement II mentions 'They sometimes contained elaborate explanations of inheritance customs'. Here eleborate could no-where be deduced. We have only references as per Mr. B. These references were made into a comprehensive survey. Hence no proof of elaborate explanations. Hence may be that is why it is a incorrect inference. Hope this helps

bM22 · Answer

5. 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 be characterized as

(A) confused and dismayed
 (B) wary and hostile 
(C) cynical and disinterested
(D) curious but fearful
(E) excited but anxious

Correct Answer : B,

Explanation: as mentioned in the passage: "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....... 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", implying that Greeks had a hostile and a violent reaction towards the Amazonian societies ruled by women. Greeks considered such Amazonian societies exactly opposite of their own and that they were the enemies who were supposed to be killed.

Thanks.

mindsf · Answer

Can someone please explain the reasons why A can be eliminated confidently in Q5?

5. 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 be characterized as

(A) confused and dismayed
(B) wary and hostile
(C) cynical and disinterested
(D) curious but fearful
(E) excited but anxious

bM22 · Answer

Hi  mindsf ,

Refer the lines: 
"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....... 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 "

The highlighted part doesn't imply that the reactions of many males in ancient Greece was confused and dismayed. The words used very strongly and clearly indicate an aggressive reaction. Thus B is a better answer.

Hope This Helps.
Thanks.

Gknight5603 · Answer

how is answer to 5 is B.
isn't it extreme??

Posted from my mobile device

bM22 · Answer

Hi  Gknight5603 ,

Through the lines: "The Amazons were often characterized, for example, as the equivalents of giants and centaurs,  enemies to be slain  by Greek heroes..........to teach both male and female Greeks that all-female groups, formed by withdrawal from traditional society,  are destructive and dangerous ", we can actually infer the reactions of many males in ancient Greece to the idea of a society ruled by women to be extreme. So in the context of the information mentioned in the passage, option B is not too extreme.

Hope This Helps.T
Thanks.

mindsf · Answer

Given that  all-female groups, formed by withdrawal from traditional society, are destructive and dangerous , isn't it going to scare to the males?

Maybe I misunderstood the meaning of "dismayed." May someone help me understand what does "dismayed" mean? Is it the same as scary? - I looked up but not clear to me

bM22 · Answer

Hi  mindsf ,

Males of ancient Greece were more hostile than dismayed/upset, as mentioned in the lines:
"The Amazons were often characterized, for example, as the equivalents of giants and centaurs,  enemies to be slain  by Greek heroes". They basically considered the Amazons to be enemies that were supposed to be killed. Now this reaction does not be seem to be one of a set of people who are just upset. Wouldn't you consider this reaction more hostile than dismay?

Thanks.

VerbalBot · Answer

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In large part as a consequence of the feminist movement, historians

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In large part as a consequence of the feminist movement, historians

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