The fields of antebellum (pre-Civil War) political history and women's history use separate sources and focus on separate issues. Political...
GMAT Reading Comprehension : (RC) Questions
The fields of antebellum (pre-Civil War) political history and women's history use separate sources and focus on separate issues. Political historians, examining sources such as voting records, newspapers, and politicians' writings, focus on the emergence in the 1840's of a new "American political nation," and since women were neither voters nor politicians, they receive little discussion. Women's historians, meanwhile, have shown little interest in the subject of party politics, instead drawing on personal papers, legal records such as wills, and records of female associations to illuminate women's domestic lives, their moral reform activities, and the emergence of the woman's rights movement.
However, most historians have underestimated the extent and significance of women's political allegiance in the antebellum period. For example, in the presidential election campaigns of the 1840's, the Virginia Whig party strove to win the allegiance of Virginia's women by inviting them to rallies and speeches. According to Whig propaganda, women who turned out at the party's rallies gathered information that enabled them to mold party-loyal families, reminded men of moral values that transcended party loyalty, and conferred moral standing on the party. Virginia Democrats, in response, began to make similar appeals to women as well. By the mid-1850's the inclusion of women in the rituals of party politics had become commonplace and the ideology that justified such inclusion had been assimilated by the Democrats.
The primary purpose of the passage as a whole is to
1. Passage Analysis:
Progressive Passage Analysis
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| The fields of antebellum (pre-Civil War) political history and women's history use separate sources and focus on separate issues. | What it says: Two academic fields study different things using different materials. What it does: Sets up the basic division/contrast that will be explained Source/Type: Author's factual observation about academic fields Connection to Previous Sentences: This is our starting point - no previous information to connect to Visualization: Political History ← → Women's History (Different sources, Different focus) What We Know So Far: Two fields are separate What We Don't Know Yet: How they're different, why this matters Reading Strategy Insight: This is a classic setup sentence - expect the next few sentences to explain this division in detail. |
2. Passage Summary:
Author's Purpose:
To challenge the way historians have studied antebellum politics by showing that the separation between political history and women's history has caused scholars to miss an important part of the story.
Summary of Passage Structure:
The author builds their argument by first showing a problem with current scholarship, then providing evidence to prove their point:
- First, the author explains how political historians and women's historians study completely different things using different sources, creating two separate fields that don't talk to each other.
- Next, the author argues that this separation has caused both groups to miss something important - how much women were actually involved in politics before the Civil War.
- Then, the author proves this claim by showing how Virginia political parties in the 1840s actively competed for women's support and had specific strategies for involving women in political activities.
- Finally, the author demonstrates that this trend grew over time, with women's involvement in party politics becoming normal and accepted by the mid-1850s.
Main Point:
Historians have significantly underestimated how politically involved and important women actually were in the years before the Civil War - political parties actively sought women's allegiance and women played a meaningful role in party politics during this period.
• This focuses only on the evidence portion (Virginia Whig and Democratic tactics) rather than the overall purpose
• The passage uses these tactics as examples to support a larger argument about historical scholarship
• The author spends significant time discussing the problems with how historians have studied this period, not just examining party tactics Common Student Mistakes:
- Thinking the examples are the main point rather than supporting evidence?
→ Remember that "For example" signals supporting evidence, not the primary purpose - Focusing on what the passage talks about rather than why the author wrote it?
→ Primary purpose questions ask about the author's goal, not just the topic
• The passage mentions the woman's rights movement only briefly as one thing women's historians study
• There's no discussion of how politics affected the development of women's rights
• The focus is on showing women's involvement in existing party politics, not tracing effects on women's rights Common Student Mistakes:
- Seeing "woman's rights movement" mentioned and thinking it's the main focus?
→ Note that this appears only as part of what women's historians typically study, not as the passage's focus - Confusing women's political involvement with the women's rights movement?
→ The passage shows women participating in existing party politics, not developing their own rights movement
• The passage begins by showing how historical fields are divided and then argues this has caused historians to miss something important
• The main argument is explicitly that "most historians have underestimated" women's political role
• The entire structure supports identifying a gap in historical scholarship rather than just describing events Key Evidence: "However, most historians have underestimated the extent and significance of women's political allegiance in the antebellum period."
• The passage mentions Whigs and Democrats but doesn't focus on comparing their ideologies
• Both parties are shown using similar strategies to appeal to women - there's no ideological contrast presented
• The emphasis is on showing both parties recognized women's political importance, not on their different beliefs Common Student Mistakes:
- Seeing two political parties mentioned and assuming the passage compares their ideologies?
→ The passage shows Democrats copying Whig strategies, indicating similarity rather than contrast - Confusing political tactics with political ideologies?
→ The passage discusses how parties appealed to women, not what they believed politically
• While the passage does contrast two historical fields, this is setup for the main argument, not the primary purpose
• The contrast serves to show why historians have missed women's political involvement
• The author's goal isn't to compare methodologies but to show these separate methodologies have created a blind spot Common Student Mistakes:
- Thinking the opening contrast is the main point rather than the setup?
→ Look for "However" signals that indicate when the author moves from setup to main argument - Stopping analysis too early in the passage?
→ Primary purpose must account for the entire passage, including the historical evidence provided