Question

Which of the following best summarizes the main point of the passage?

• A. The identification of femininity with morality promoted the notion of women's moral purity while excluding women from positions of authority in their communities.
• B. The belief in women's innate moral superiority allowed women to exercise political power without participating in partisan politics.
• C. The cult of female domesticity helped some women to gain power and privilege but kept most women confined to the domestic sphere.
• D. The ideology of female benevolence empowered women in the realm of social activism but placed limits on their direct political power.
• E. The idealization of female altruism enabled women to engage in philanthropic activities but prevented them from managing money and property.

Answer 1

The correct option is D The ideology of female benevolence empowered women in the realm of social activism but placed limits on their direct political power.

In the first paragraph it is given that, ‘this ideology of female benevolence empowered women in the realm of social activism, enabling them to escape the confines of their traditional domestic spheres’. This shows that, the viewpoint of female domesticity had ideological elements that helped some women shun contemporary roles. In the last paragraph it is also given that, the ideology prevented women refused to move for true political power. Hence combining these two ideas we can select option (d) as the answer.