After the American Civil War (1861-1865), the advocates for the extension of voting rights (suffrage) to African Americans and the...
GMAT Reading Comprehension : (RC) Questions
After the American Civil War (1861-1865), the advocates for the extension of voting rights (suffrage) to African Americans and the advocates for the extension of voting rights to women were initially unified in their efforts. However, as it became clear that voting rights would be extended only to male African Americans, antagonism developed between African Americans and white woman suffragists. In an attempt to overcome this antagonism, African American historian, sociologist, and civil rights advocate W.E.B. Du Bois (1898- 1963)—whose role as advocate for women's rights has been largely overlooked by scholars—offered appeals to both sides of the rift, including detailed arguments for why African Americans should support woman suffrage.
Du Bois offered both principle-based and pragmatic appeals. His principle-based arguments suggested that the higher ideals of American democracy demanded that African Americans support woman suffrage: to deny woman suffrage was to deny democracy, while to support it was to support democracy. This appeal likely resonated with many African Americans in the early twentieth century, for whom the notion of democracy was an especially powerful cultural idiom. Du Bois's principle-based arguments also confronted the claim by some woman suffragists that woman suffrage and black suffrage were philosophically unrelated. By unifying the ideas under the banner of democracy, Du Bois argued that woman suffrage and black suffrage were philosophically linked, and that to deny that link was to undermine democracy.
In his pragmatic appeals, Du Bois argued that woman suffrage would have positive consequences for all African Americans. Because the African American population had a greater proportion of women than did the American population as whole, extending the vote to women would be especially advantageous to the African American population. However, the most prominent aspect of Du Bois's pragmatic appeals was his assertion that black women voters would be especially valuable to African Americans because of "women's influence in politics—the influence of the mother, the wife, the teacher." Although black voters would be somewhat more than doubled in number, black voters would be outnumbered by white voters. But the enfranchisement of African American women, Du Bois argued, "will not be a mere doubling of our vote: it will tend to stronger and more normal political life."
The passage most strongly suggests that which of the following statements expresses an appeal that Dubois made to a non-African-American audience?
1. Passage Analysis:
Progressive Passage Analysis
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| After the American Civil War (1861-1865), the advocates for the extension of voting rights (suffrage) to African Americans and the advocates for the extension of voting rights to women were initially unified in their efforts. | What it says: Two groups of people - those fighting for Black voting rights and those fighting for women's voting rights - started out working together after the Civil War. What it does: Sets up the historical context and introduces two key groups Source/Type: Historical fact Connection to Previous Sentences: First sentence - establishes the foundation Visualization: Imagine two protest groups marching together, carrying signs for "Black Voting Rights" and "Women's Voting Rights" side by side What We Know So Far: Two advocacy groups started as allies What We Don't Know Yet: What happened to this unity, who the key players are |
| However, as it became clear that voting rights would be extended only to male African Americans, antagonism developed between African Americans and white woman suffragists. | What it says: When it became obvious only Black men (not women) would get voting rights, the two groups became enemies instead of friends. What it does: Introduces the central conflict/problem Source/Type: Historical fact Connection to Previous Sentences: This directly contrasts with sentence 1 - "However" signals the shift from unity to conflict Visualization: The same two groups now facing each other angrily across a divide, with only the "Black Men's Voting Rights" sign remaining in the victory circle Reading Strategy Insight: The "However" clearly signals this is THE problem the passage will address What We Know So Far: Unity → Conflict between the two groups What We Don't Know Yet: How this conflict might be resolved |
| In an attempt to overcome this antagonism, African American historian, sociologist, and civil rights advocate W.E.B. Du Bois (1898- 1963)—whose role as advocate for women's rights has been largely overlooked by scholars—offered appeals to both sides of the rift, including detailed arguments for why African Americans should support woman suffrage. | What it says: Enter our main character: Du Bois tried to fix this fight by making arguments to convince Black Americans to support women's voting rights. What it does: Introduces the main figure and his solution to the problem Source/Type: Historical fact + author's opinion (about scholars overlooking his role) Connection to Previous Sentences: This builds directly on the problem from sentence 2 - "In an attempt to overcome this antagonism" clearly references the conflict just described Visualization: Du Bois standing in the middle of the two angry groups, holding up his hands and papers, trying to convince the Black rights group to support the women's rights group Reading Strategy Insight: The passage structure is becoming clear: Problem (sentences 1-2) → Solution attempt (sentence 3 onward) What We Know So Far: Unity → Conflict → Du Bois's attempted solution What We Don't Know Yet: What specific arguments Du Bois made |
| Du Bois offered both principle-based and pragmatic appeals. | What it says: Du Bois made two types of arguments: moral/philosophical ones and practical/strategic ones. What it does: Creates a framework for organizing the upcoming details Source/Type: Author's categorization of Du Bois's approach Connection to Previous Sentences: This elaborates on "detailed arguments" from sentence 3 - the author is now organizing those arguments into categories for us Visualization: Du Bois holding two different types of papers: one labeled "What's Right" and another labeled "What's Smart" Reading Strategy Insight: Feel relieved here - this is organization, not new complexity! The author is helping us by categorizing the upcoming information into just two buckets What We Know So Far: Du Bois made 2 types of arguments: principle-based + pragmatic What We Don't Know Yet: The specific content of each type |
| His principle-based arguments suggested that the higher ideals of American democracy demanded that African Americans support woman suffrage: to deny woman suffrage was to deny democracy, while to support it was to support democracy. | What it says: His moral argument was simple: True democracy means everyone votes, so supporting women's voting rights = supporting democracy. What it does: Explains the content of the first type of argument (principle-based) Source/Type: Du Bois's argument (as interpreted by the author) Connection to Previous Sentences: This directly builds on "principle-based" from sentence 4 by filling in the specific content Visualization: Du Bois pointing to the Constitution/American flag saying "Real democracy includes everyone - that means women too!" Reading Strategy Insight: This restates the same idea twice (deny suffrage = deny democracy / support suffrage = support democracy) - repetition for clarity, not new complexity What We Know So Far: Principle-based argument = democracy requires women's suffrage What We Don't Know Yet: The pragmatic arguments |
| This appeal likely resonated with many African Americans in the early twentieth century, for whom the notion of democracy was an especially powerful cultural idiom. | What it says: This democracy argument probably worked well with Black Americans because "democracy" was a really meaningful concept to them at that time. What it does: Explains why the principle-based argument was smart/effective Source/Type: Author's analysis ("likely resonated") Connection to Previous Sentences: This elaborates on the democracy argument from sentence 5 by explaining its likely effectiveness Visualization: Black Americans nodding enthusiastically when Du Bois mentions "democracy" because they understand its power from their own struggles Reading Strategy Insight: This is still talking about the same principle-based argument - just adding context about why it was effective |
| Du Bois's principle-based arguments also confronted the claim by some woman suffragists that woman suffrage and black suffrage were philosophically unrelated. | What it says: Some women's rights activists said their cause had nothing to do with Black voting rights, but Du Bois's democracy argument challenged this claim. What it does: Shows another purpose/target of the principle-based arguments Source/Type: Description of Du Bois's argumentative strategy Connection to Previous Sentences: Still elaborating on the principle-based arguments from sentences 5-6, but now showing how they addressed the women suffragists' side Visualization: Some women suffragists saying "Our fight has nothing to do with Black rights" and Du Bois responding "Actually, they're both about democracy!" Reading Strategy Insight: We're still in the "principle-based arguments" section - this is the same argument applied to a different audience |
| By unifying the ideas under the banner of democracy, Du Bois argued that woman suffrage and black suffrage were philosophically linked, and that to deny that link was to undermine democracy. | What it says: Du Bois said both causes belong together under "democracy," and anyone who says they're separate is actually hurting democracy. What it does: Restates and concludes the principle-based argument section Source/Type: Summary of Du Bois's argument Connection to Previous Sentences: This restates what we learned in sentences 5-7 in cleaner, summary form - connecting both voting rights under "democracy" Visualization: Du Bois holding up one large "DEMOCRACY" banner that covers both "Black Suffrage" and "Woman Suffrage" underneath Reading Strategy Insight: Feel confident here! This is pure restatement for clarity. The author is helping us see the principle-based argument clearly before moving on |
| In his pragmatic appeals, Du Bois argued that woman suffrage would have positive consequences for all African Americans. | What it says: Now for the practical arguments: Du Bois said giving women the vote would actually benefit all Black people. What it does: Transitions to the second type of argument and gives its general theme Source/Type: Summary of Du Bois's pragmatic arguments Connection to Previous Sentences: This returns to the framework from sentence 4 ("pragmatic appeals") and begins filling in content for the second category Visualization: Du Bois switching from his "What's Right" papers to his "What's Smart" papers, telling Black Americans "Here's how this helps YOU" Reading Strategy Insight: Clear transition back to our organized structure! We finished "principle-based" and now we're on "pragmatic" What We Know So Far: Principle-based = democracy; Pragmatic = benefits for Black Americans What We Don't Know Yet: Specific practical benefits |
| Because the African American population had a greater proportion of women than did the American population as whole, extending the vote to women would be especially advantageous to the African American population. | What it says: Black communities had more women (proportionally) than the general population, so women's voting rights would give Black communities a bigger boost. What it does: Provides the first specific pragmatic argument with demographic reasoning Source/Type: Du Bois's pragmatic argument based on demographic facts Connection to Previous Sentences: This builds on sentence 9 by providing the first specific example of "positive consequences for all African Americans" Visualization: Black community: 60% women vs. General population: 50% women, so women's suffrage gives Black communities a 60% boost vs. only 50% for others Reading Strategy Insight: This is concrete example of the general claim from sentence 9 - we're getting specific evidence |
| However, the most prominent aspect of Du Bois's pragmatic appeals was his assertion that black women voters would be especially valuable to African Americans because of "women's influence in politics—the influence of the mother, the wife, the teacher." | What it says: But Du Bois's biggest practical argument was that Black women voters would be extra powerful because women have special influence as mothers, wives, and teachers. What it does: Introduces the main pragmatic argument, featuring a direct quote from Du Bois Source/Type: Du Bois's own words (in quotes) Connection to Previous Sentences: This builds on sentence 10 but shifts from numbers to influence - still within "pragmatic appeals" from sentence 9 Visualization: Black women wearing multiple hats labeled "Mother," "Wife," "Teacher" showing how they influence politics from many angles Reading Strategy Insight: "However, the most prominent" signals this is THE main pragmatic argument - everything before was setup |
| Although black voters would be somewhat more than doubled in number, black voters would be outnumbered by white voters. | What it says: Even though giving Black women the vote would roughly double Black voting power, Black voters would still have fewer votes than white voters overall. What it does: Acknowledges a potential limitation of the pragmatic argument Source/Type: Factual/logical observation (part of Du Bois's reasoning) Connection to Previous Sentences: This provides context for why the "special influence" argument from sentence 11 was necessary - numbers alone wouldn't be enough Visualization: Black voters: 100 → 220; White voters: 1000 → 2000 (Black voters still significantly outnumbered) Reading Strategy Insight: "Although" signals this is acknowledging a problem that the next part will address |
| But the enfranchisement of African American women, Du Bois argued, "will not be a mere doubling of our vote: it will tend to stronger and more normal political life." | What it says: Du Bois said giving Black women the vote wouldn't just mean more votes - it would create stronger, healthier political participation in Black communities. What it does: Concludes the pragmatic argument by showing how quality matters more than quantity Source/Type: Direct quote from Du Bois Connection to Previous Sentences: This directly addresses the limitation raised in sentence 12 - "But" shows Du Bois's counter-argument that influence matters more than raw numbers Visualization: Instead of just 200 vs 100 votes, Black political participation becomes a strong, organized, multi-dimensional force Reading Strategy Insight: This completes the pragmatic arguments section - we now have both types of Du Bois's appeals fully explained What We Know So Far: Complete picture of Du Bois's solution: Principle-based (democracy) + Pragmatic (numbers + influence) arguments to heal the rift between Black Americans and women suffragists |
2. Passage Summary:
Author's Purpose:
To explain how W.E.B. Du Bois tried to heal the political split between African Americans and women's rights supporters by making arguments that both groups should work together.
Summary of Passage Structure:
In this passage, the author walks us through a historical problem and one person's attempted solution:
- First, the author sets up the background by showing how two civil rights groups started as allies but became enemies when only Black men got voting rights.
- Next, the author introduces Du Bois as someone who tried to fix this fight by convincing African Americans to support women's voting rights.
- Then, the author breaks down Du Bois's strategy into two types of arguments: moral arguments about democracy and practical arguments about political benefits.
- Finally, the author explains both argument types in detail, showing how Du Bois appealed to democratic ideals and demonstrated concrete advantages for the Black community.
Main Point:
Du Bois developed a smart two-part strategy to convince African Americans to support women's voting rights: he argued it was both the right thing to do for democracy and the smart thing to do for Black political power.
1. Question Analysis:
The question asks us to identify which statement represents an appeal that Du Bois made specifically to a non-African-American audience. This means we need to find an argument that Du Bois directed toward white people, particularly white woman suffragists, rather than toward African Americans.
Connecting to Our Passage Analysis:
From our passage analysis, we know that Du Bois made appeals to "both sides of the rift" - meaning both African Americans and white woman suffragists. The passage specifically mentions that "Du Bois's principle-based arguments also confronted the claim by some woman suffragists that woman suffrage and black suffrage were philosophically unrelated." This shows Du Bois was directly addressing white suffragists who wanted to separate their cause from Black voting rights.
The key insight from our analysis is that Du Bois used his democracy argument in two ways:
- To convince African Americans that supporting women's suffrage aligned with democratic ideals
- To challenge white suffragists who claimed their cause was unrelated to Black suffrage
Prethinking:
Since the question asks for an appeal to non-African-Americans, we should look for the argument Du Bois made to white woman suffragists. Based on our passage analysis, this would be his challenge to their claim that the two causes were "philosophically unrelated." Du Bois argued that both causes were linked under democracy, and denying this link undermined democracy itself.
Why It's Wrong:
• The passage doesn't present Du Bois as making this general observation about antagonism being counterproductive
• This is more of a descriptive statement about the situation rather than a specific appeal Du Bois made
• The passage focuses on Du Bois's arguments for why groups should support each other, not on criticizing the antagonism itself
Common Student Mistakes:
1. Wasn't Du Bois trying to overcome antagonism?
→ Yes, but he did this through specific arguments about democracy and benefits, not by simply stating that antagonism was counterproductive
1. Isn't this something he would have said to both sides?
→ The passage doesn't indicate Du Bois made this particular argument; focus on what the passage explicitly states he argued
Why It's Wrong:
• This statement is the author's analysis, not Du Bois's appeal
• The passage says democracy "was an especially powerful cultural idiom" for African Americans, explaining why Du Bois's argument resonated with them
• This describes the effectiveness of Du Bois's strategy rather than being the strategy itself
Common Student Mistakes:
1. Didn't Du Bois use the democracy argument strategically?
→ Yes, but this choice describes the author's analysis of why it worked, not Du Bois's actual appeal
1. Wouldn't this apply to convincing white people too?
→ The passage specifically states this was especially powerful for African Americans, not for white audiences
Why It's Wrong:
• The passage states that "the African American population had a greater proportion of women than did the American population as whole"
• This contradicts the idea that there are more women than men in the general US population
• Du Bois's argument was specifically about proportional differences between Black and white communities, not about overall gender ratios
Common Student Mistakes:
1. Isn't this related to Du Bois's demographic argument?
→ Yes, but Du Bois argued about proportional differences between communities, not absolute numbers nationwide
1. Wouldn't this fact support women's suffrage generally?
→ The passage doesn't present this as Du Bois's argument, and it's factually inconsistent with what the passage states
Why It's Right:
• The passage explicitly states that Du Bois's arguments "confronted the claim by some woman suffragists that woman suffrage and black suffrage were philosophically unrelated"
• This directly addresses white woman suffragists who wanted to separate their cause from Black voting rights
• Du Bois argued that "to deny that link was to undermine democracy," making this a clear appeal to the non-African-American audience
Key Evidence: "By unifying the ideas under the banner of democracy, Du Bois argued that woman suffrage and black suffrage were philosophically linked, and that to deny that link was to undermine democracy."
Why It's Wrong:
• This quote appears in the context of Du Bois's pragmatic appeals to African Americans about the benefits they would receive
• The passage presents this as part of Du Bois's argument for why Black women voters would create "stronger and more normal political life" for the African American community
• This is specifically about benefits for African Americans, not an appeal to white suffragists
Common Student Mistakes:
1. Wouldn't white suffragists also want "stronger and more normal political life"?
→ While possibly true, the passage presents this as Du Bois's appeal to African Americans about their community benefits
1. Isn't this a general argument for women's suffrage?
→ In context, this is specifically about how Black women's political participation would benefit the Black community