‘Women’s literature’ refers to literature written by women. This being

Question

‘Women’s literature’ refers to literature written by women. This being so, it is easy to categorize members of this genre by gender, but that is not to say that the category really exists as an object of study. A zoologist could locate entries to the type, `brown fauna’: the doubt though is whether he could learn anything zoological by studying a family composed of brown bears and   lizard. Are there literary qualities included in all works by women and precluded from all works by men? And the answer is no. Clearly, this demarcation of women’s literature by literary institutions thus has been degrading, and the teaching of women’s literature in English departments, a subversion of women’s liberation.

Trying to classify literature by sex is a self-defeating task. There are thoughts in the writings of Atticus Finch that can sound feminine, and then there are those in Dorris Lessing’s that can sound masculine. We may be prepared to admit rhetorically that no man could have written Jane Eyre and no woman James Bond, but truly, if we try to define what is specifically masculine or feminine about them, the task can only turn futile. Are women more interested in dress and domestic life? And are men more interested in war and public events? Perhaps, but then writers descend this level to a greater meaning in their writings. Infact, greater the writer, greater the capacity to transcend particularities.

The same can be true of literary characters. Looking at female characters separately has resulted in many false conclusions: “Do women have problems charting one’s identity?” Well, so is the case with almost all the heroes of the “Bildungsroman”. Do women end up choosing between personal life and career? So must the other sex….Are many women ruined by not being able to choose the man they love? So are many men forced to let go their chosen mates. Do the women get discouraged by double standards and stereotypes associated with them? Can we not see men suffering in the same manner? A writer is a writer. You care about writing. You sit down, you write, you are not a woman, or an American. You are a writer.” So, Focusing on the writer’s gender is inherently confining and directed at a reading that is biased, a thing that proponents of women’s literature fought to begin with.   1 
Why does the author quote the example of Jane Eyre and James Bond?

A. To state that the writings of men and women are different in style and subject
B. To illustrate that his claim could have some exceptions
C. To show that it is harmful to differentiate literature based on gender
D. To highlight the differences that novels from two different eras may have
E. To compare the fiction written by men and women

2

Why does the author raise many questions in the third paragraph?

A. To show that there are many unresolved questions in the field of women’s literature
B. To point out the disputes in the Women’s literature
C. To highlight the mistake, we may make in trying to be gender specific in our studies
D. To voice the doubts that writers may have to answer before they descend into greater meaning in their writing
E. To point out that the issues faced by a female character may be very different to that of male character

3

The passage is primarily concerned with?

A. Reevaluate the role played by women’s literature in women’s liberation
B. Present different questions that can be faced by a student of women’s literature
C. Argue that it is unbecoming of academics to separate women’s literature
D. Examine how scholarly opinion towards feminism has changed over time
E. Showcase problems that may arise due to classification of women’s literature as a separate genre

4

The passage mentions each of the following as issues shared by male and female characters EXCEPT?

A. Being torn between the professional or personal life
B. Not being able to pursue the person of their desire
C. Finding it challenging to think like the opposite sex
D. Dismayed by the way society pigeonholes them
E. Striving to establish one’s identity

5

How is the passage organized as a whole?
A. The first paragraph raises issues inherent in an approach, the next three solve the problem
B. A thesis is stated in the first paragraph and revised in the second paragraph, and the revised thesis is supported with argument in the third and fourth paragraph.
C. A claim is made in the first paragraph, and the next paragraphs offer support for the claim
D. The first two paragraphs discuss and criticize a thesis, and the third paragraph presents an alternative thesis
E. The first paragraph expresses dismissal of an objection to the position it seeks to establish; the other paragraphs detail that position.

Shristisingh456 · Answer

Can anyone explain me that why the answer of question 1 is b???

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Solenja · Answer

Can anyone help me out regarding the first question?

SarcasticSant · Answer

in the second paragraph the author says that "There are thoughts in the writings of Atticus Finch that can sound feminine, and then there are those in Dorris Lessing’s that can sound masculine"
 
He/She is stating that male authors can sound feminine and female authors can sound masculine in their works, but in the next line he/she states however, that there are some exceptions to that and that is why he/she gives the example of Bond.

adadhikari123 · Answer

i cant figure out the last questions can anybody will try to explain it

Ivy17 · Answer

Question 1:Why does the author quote the example of Jane Eyre and James Bond?

A. To state that the writings of men and women are different in style and subject:  180 degree answer. The author has been mentioning all throughout the passage that the writings of men and women are in fact not any different from one another 
B. To illustrate that his claim could have some exceptions:  In the 2nd para the author states '"There are thoughts in the writings of Atticus Finch that can sound feminine, and then there are those in Dorris Lessing’s that can sound masculine. We may be prepared to admit rhetorically that no man could have written Jane Eyre and no woman James Bond, but truly, if we try to define what is specifically masculine or feminine about them, the task can only turn futile.'". In the line about Atticus Finch he mentions that even male writers can write about thoughts that are feminine in nature and female authors like Dorris can write about thoughts that are masculine in nature. The author then goes on to say that there might still be some exceptions to this (like a female author could have only written Jane Eyre (read between the lines: given the story behind is mainly about the struggles of a simple girl and 'James Bond' could only have been written by a male author say due to the innumerous action sequences) Hence, the author admits that though there may be some exceptions to the writing style being strictly feminine/masculine to the respective gender, it cannot be used for a generalization as such. Therefore this answer choice is correct. 
C. To show that it is harmful to differentiate literature based on gender:  That is the author's main point however it is not why he quotes the examples. Therefore irrelevant for the scope of this question. 
D. To highlight the differences that novels from two different eras may have:  Same as option C 
E. To compare the fiction written by men and women:  The author is not seen comparing, rather criticizing the categorization. Even so, similar to option C and D, this is not related to why he has quoted the examples.

Question 2: Why does the author raise many questions in the third paragraph?

A. To show that there are many unresolved questions in the field of women’s literature:  Unresolved? His primary reason behind asking the plethora of questions is to show/convince the reader that female characters in novels/stories face almost the same dilemmas or are plagued by the same issues that are male counterparts in novels/stories have to face. 
B. To point out the disputes in the Women’s literature:  180 degree answer, the author is trying to show the reader that the female characters in novels/stories go through almost the same issues as their male counterparts. 
C. To highlight the mistake, we may make in trying to be gender specific in our studies:  Correct answer, the author is trying to convince the reader that this practice of categorization is futile and that female characters in novels/stories are no different from their male counterparts. 
D. To voice the doubts that writers may have to answer before they descend into greater meaning in their writing:  Not at all, third para does not discuss about the writers of the novels/stories rather the female and male literary characters who are part of those stories. 
E. To point out that the issues faced by a female character may be very different to that of male character:  Complete 180 degree answer, the author is trying to show that they are indeed the same issues.

Question 3: The passage is primarily concerned with?

A. Reevaluate the role played by women’s literature in women’s liberation:  The author is not trying to reevaulate anything, rather he is criticizing the practice of the categorization of literature written by women into a separate exclusive category as such. 
B. Present different questions that can be faced by a student of women’s literature:  Not at all, author's tone is negative throughout the passage 
C. Argue that it is unbecoming of academics to separate women’s literature:  Correct, in the 1st para the author states :"Clearly, this demarcation of women’s literature by literary institutions thus has been degrading, and the teaching of women’s literature in English departments, a subversion of women’s liberation." 
D. Examine how scholarly opinion towards feminism has changed over time:  It has not in fact, which is why the author has gone to such lengths to write this. 
E. Showcase problems that may arise due to classification of women’s literature as a separate genre:  The only problem that the author could have hinted towards that has arisen from the classification of women's lit as a separate genre is " the teaching of women’s literature in English departments, a subversion of women’s liberation." (1st para). However this does not cover the entire scope of the passage.

Question 4: The passage mentions each of the following as issues shared by male and female characters EXCEPT?

A. Being torn between the professional or personal life:  lines "Do women end up choosing between personal life and career? So must the other sex" (3rd para) 
B. Not being able to pursue the person of their desire:  lines "Are many women ruined by not being able to choose the man they love? So are many men forced to let go their chosen mates." (3rd para) 
C. Finding it challenging to think like the opposite sex:  Correct answer, author does not mention this as a common issue faced by male and female characters 
D. Dismayed by the way society pigeonholes them:  lines "Do the women get discouraged by double standards and stereotypes associated with them? Can we not see men suffering in the same manner?" (3rd para) 
E. Striving to establish one’s identity:  lines "“Do women have problems charting one’s identity?” Well, so is the case with almost all the heroes of the “Bildungsroman”. (3rd para)

Question 5: How is the passage organized as a whole?
A. The first paragraph raises issues inherent in an approach, the next three solve the problem:  The author is not shown solving the problem behind the classification of women's lit into an exclusive category as such, rather the author is seen criticizing that very practice till the end and trying to show the reader that women's lit is inherently the same as men's lit albeit a few exceptions  
B. A thesis is stated in the first paragraph and revised in the second paragraph, and the revised thesis is supported with argument in the third and fourth paragraph  Thesis? No thesis is discussed in the passage, only a certain practice that the author find degrading and futile 
C. A claim is made in the first paragraph, and the next paragraphs offer support for the claim:  Correct answer, in the 1st para the author makes the claim that "Are there literary qualities included in all works by women and precluded from all works by men? And the answer is no." In the 2nd para he tries to show us that male writers can very well write about feminine thoughts and vice versa, so there stands no reason behind this futile categorisation as such. In the 3rd para the author states how the female literary characters in novels/stories face the same issues that the male literary characters do. Hence, in the 2nd and 3rd para he offers support for his claim made in the 1st para 
D. The first two paragraphs discuss and criticize a thesis, and the third paragraph presents an alternative thesis:  Thesis? No thesis is discussed in the passage, only a certain practice that the author find degrading and futile 
E. The first paragraph expresses dismissal of an objection to the position it seeks to establish; the other paragraphs detail that position.:  The author takes the position of the classification of women's lit behind a futile and degrading excersice. Nowhwere in the entire passage is any objection to the author's position been discussed. The entire passage is around reinforcing the author's opinion as such.

Hope this helps!

wickedvikram · Answer

I think answer for Q1 should be C. B is not correct since those authors were not introduced for exceptions but to show that there is no exception as apparently masculine and feminine works of those authors can't be specifically pointed out for gender specific bits.
 "what is specifically masculine or feminine about them, the task can only turn futile."

Sajjad1994 · Answer

The author quotes the example of Jane Eyre and James Bond to illustrate that his claim could have some exceptions. The passage argues against classifying literature based on gender and emphasizes that attempting to define what is specifically masculine or feminine about certain works is a futile task. By mentioning Jane Eyre and James Bond, the author suggests that these two characters and their respective novels do not conform to traditional gender stereotypes. They defy expectations, showing that there is diversity and complexity within literature that cannot be easily categorized based on gender.

Regarding why answer  choice (C)  is incorrect, it is because the passage does not explicitly state that it is harmful to differentiate literature based on gender. The passage focuses more on the limitations and futility of such differentiation, rather than the harm it may cause. While it does criticize the demarcation of women's literature and the subversion of women's liberation, the overall argument is centered around the idea that attempting to categorize literature based on gender is a confining and biased approach, rather than a harmful one.

Therefore, the correct answer is B.

wickedvikram · Answer

I totally agree about C being incorrect, I only chose it because I thought it was better than the rest.
Thanks for your explanation regarding B. I think it makes complete sense. The larger picture is about masculine and feminine works of those authors, however the introduction was specifically to handle the expected exception and debunk it through questioning the gender specific bits.
Brilliant passage !!

‘Women’s literature’ refers to literature written by women. This being

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

‘Women’s literature’ refers to literature written by women. This being

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