Question

The phrase "a satellite orbiting a dominant male planet" (line 10523) refers most directly to ______________.

• A. Cavendish's concept that each woman is a sovereign self
• B. The complete political and social isolation of absolute singularity
• C. The immaterial world that a writer can create on paper
• D. The absolute subordination of women in a patriarchal society
• E. The metaphorical figure of the absolute monarch

Answer 1

The correct option is D The absolute subordination of women in a patriarchal society

The first paragraph of the passage centers around the puzzling fact that the seventeenth century women who were considered to be the 'forerunners of modern feminism' sided with the Royalists in the Civil War. The same Royalists who believed in the absolute power of the male, that is, the absolute rule of the king over the kingdom. The writer believes that these women writers should have been equally divided between Royalists and Parliamentarians as there is no particular difference in the opinions of bot these groups with regards to women rights.

The second paragraph discusses Catherine Gallagher's argument that Royalism gave rise to Feminism- the basic idea of monarchy being the foundation. Gallagher gives the example of Margaret Cavendish who "insisted that she was a self-sufficient being within her mental empire, the center of her own subjective universe rather than a satellite orbiting a dominant male planet."

Thus, it is quite evident from the central theme of the passage that "a satellite orbiting a dominant male planet" most directly refers to option D. Here, the other choices do not fit the context.