The new school of political history that emerged in the 1960's and 1970's sought to go beyond the traditional focus...
GMAT Reading Comprehension : (RC) Questions
Source: Official Guide
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The new school of political history that emerged in the 1960's and 1970's sought to go beyond the traditional focus of political historians on leaders and government institutions by examining directly the political practices of ordinary citizens. Like the old approach, however, this new approach excluded women. The very techniques these historians used to uncover mass political behavior in the nineteenth-century United States—quantitative analyses of election returns, for example—were useless in analyzing the political activities of women, who were denied the vote until 1920.
By redefining "political activity," historian Paula Baker has developed a political history that includes women. She concludes that among ordinary citizens, political activism by women in the nineteenth century prefigured trends in twentieth-century politics. Defining "politics" as "any action taken to affect the course of behavior of government or of the community," Baker concludes that, while voting and holding office were restricted to men, women in the nineteenth century organized themselves into societies committed to social issues such as temperance and poverty. In other words, Baker contends, women activists were early practitioners of nonpartisan, issue-oriented politics and thus were more interested in enlisting lawmakers, regardless of their party affiliation, on behalf of certain issues than in ensuring that one party or another won an election. In the twentieth century, more men drew closer to women's ideas about politics and took up modes of issue-oriented politics that Baker sees women as having pioneered.
Ques. 1/6
The primary purpose of the passage is to
Solution
1. Passage Analysis:
Progressive Passage Analysis
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| The new school of political history that emerged in the 1960's and 1970's sought to go beyond the traditional focus of political historians on leaders and government institutions by examining directly the political practices of ordinary citizens. | What it says: In the 1960s-70s, historians changed their approach from studying political leaders to studying regular people's political behavior. What it does: Introduces a shift in historical methodology Source/Type: Factual description of historical development Connection to Previous Sentences: This is our starting point - no previous information to connect to Visualization: Traditional approach: Study presidents, senators, government buildings New approach: Study how farmers, workers, shopkeepers participated in politics What We Know So Far: Historians changed focus from elites to ordinary people What We Don't Know Yet: What problems this created, what solutions emerged Reading Strategy Insight: This sets up a chronological framework - note the time periods for tracking changes |
| Like the old approach, however, this new approach excluded women. | What it says: Both the old way and the new way of studying political history left out women. What it does: Reveals a limitation shared by both approaches Source/Type: Author's critical observation Connection to Previous Sentences: This contrasts with the previous sentence's positive description of the "new school." Despite being "new," it had the same flaw as the old approach. Visualization: Old approach: Leaders + Government (No women) New approach: Ordinary citizens (No women) Both approaches = Incomplete picture What We Know So Far: Historical shift occurred, but women still excluded from both old and new methods What We Don't Know Yet: Why women were excluded, what the solution might be Reading Strategy Insight: The word "however" signals this isn't just additional information - it's pointing out a problem that needs solving |
| The very techniques these historians used to uncover mass political behavior in the nineteenth-century United States—quantitative analyses of election returns, for example—were useless in analyzing the political activities of women, who were denied the vote until 1920. | What it says: The methods historians used (like counting votes) couldn't study women's politics because women couldn't vote until 1920. What it does: Explains WHY women were excluded - provides the reasoning Source/Type: Factual explanation with historical context Connection to Previous Sentences: This builds on the previous sentence by explaining the mechanism. Sentence 2 told us women were excluded; NOW we understand it was because the research methods only worked for voters. Visualization: Historian's toolbox for studying 1800s politics: - Count election votes → Only works for male voters - Analyze voting patterns → Only captures men - Women (no vote until 1920) = Invisible to these tools What We Know So Far: Problem clearly defined - research methods were inadequate for studying women's political roles What We Don't Know Yet: How someone solved this problem Reading Strategy Insight: Feel confident here - this is explanation, not new complexity. The author is helping us understand the logical reason for the exclusion. |
| By redefining "political activity," historian Paula Baker has developed a political history that includes women. | What it says: Paula Baker solved the problem by changing what counts as "political activity" so women could be included. What it does: Introduces the solution and the key researcher Source/Type: Factual description of Baker's contribution Connection to Previous Sentences: This directly responds to the problem established in sentences 2-3. We've moved from problem (women excluded) to solution (redefine politics). Visualization: Old definition of political activity: Voting, running for office Baker's new definition: [We don't know specifics yet, but it includes women] Result: Women can now be studied as political actors What We Know So Far: Problem-solution structure emerging - Baker found a way to include women by changing definitions What We Don't Know Yet: What Baker's new definition includes, what her specific findings were Reading Strategy Insight: The passage structure is becoming clear: Problem → Solution → [Details coming]. This reduces anxiety about what's ahead. |
| She concludes that among ordinary citizens, political activism by women in the nineteenth century prefigured trends in twentieth-century politics. | What it says: Baker found that women's 1800s political activities predicted what politics would look like in the 1900s. What it does: States Baker's main conclusion Source/Type: Baker's research conclusion Connection to Previous Sentences: This builds on Baker's solution by giving us her key finding. Previous sentence told us she included women; NOW we learn what she discovered about them. Visualization: Timeline: Women's 1800s activities → Predicted → General political trends in 1900s Implication: Women were ahead of their time, influencing future political styles What We Know So Far: Complete problem-solution-finding sequence: Baker solved exclusion problem and discovered women were political pioneers What We Don't Know Yet: Specific details of what women did and how it influenced later politics Reading Strategy Insight: This is Baker's "big picture" conclusion. The details that follow will support this main idea rather than contradict it. |
| Defining "politics" as "any action taken to affect the course of behavior of government or of the community," Baker concludes that, while voting and holding office were restricted to men, women in the nineteenth century organized themselves into societies committed to social issues such as temperance and poverty. | What it says: Baker used a broad definition of politics (any action affecting government/community), and found that while men voted, women organized groups focused on social problems. What it does: Provides Baker's specific definition and concrete examples of women's political activities Source/Type: Baker's methodology and findings Connection to Previous Sentences: This elaborates on Baker's "redefinition" mentioned earlier. Sentence 4 said she redefined political activity; NOW we get the exact definition and specific examples. Visualization: Baker's broad definition: Politics = Any action affecting government/community Men's political activities: Voting, holding office Women's political activities: Organizing temperance societies, poverty-fighting groups Both count as political under Baker's definition What We Know So Far: Clear picture of how Baker's broader definition captured women's community-organizing activities alongside men's electoral activities What We Don't Know Yet: How these different styles connected to later political trends Reading Strategy Insight: This is clarification, not complication - the author is showing us concrete examples of the abstract concepts introduced earlier. |
| In other words, Baker contends, women activists were early practitioners of nonpartisan, issue-oriented politics and thus were more interested in enlisting lawmakers, regardless of their party affiliation, on behalf of certain issues than in ensuring that one party or another won an election. | What it says: Baker argues that women focused on specific issues rather than political parties - they worked with any politician who would help their cause. What it does: Restates and clarifies the previous sentence in simpler terms Source/Type: Baker's interpretation/argument Connection to Previous Sentences: "In other words" signals this is restatement! The previous sentence gave examples (temperance, poverty groups); NOW the author translates this into a clear principle about women's political style. Visualization: Women's approach: Issue-focused (temperance, poverty) + Nonpartisan (work with any helpful politician) vs. Traditional approach: Party-focused (Democrat vs Republican) + Partisan (loyalty to one party) What We Know So Far: Women developed a distinct political style - issue-based rather than party-based What We Don't Know Yet: How this influenced twentieth-century politics Reading Strategy Insight: Feel relieved here - this is simplification, not new complexity. The phrase "in other words" means the author is helping you understand, not adding burden. |
| In the twentieth century, more men drew closer to women's ideas about politics and took up modes of issue-oriented politics that Baker sees women as having pioneered. | What it says: In the 1900s, men started adopting the issue-focused political style that women had developed earlier. What it does: Completes the argument by showing how women's nineteenth-century approach influenced later politics Source/Type: Baker's conclusion about historical influence Connection to Previous Sentences: This brings the argument full circle. Sentence 5 said women's activities "prefigured" twentieth-century trends; NOW we see specifically how - men adopted women's issue-oriented approach. Visualization: 1800s: Women develop issue-oriented, nonpartisan politics 1900s: Men adopt this same approach Result: Women's political style becomes the general trend What We Know So Far: Complete argument - women were political pioneers whose methods eventually became mainstream Reading Strategy Insight: This completes the circular structure. We started with women being excluded from political history, and end with women being recognized as political innovators. The passage has built one coherent argument, not a series of disconnected facts. |
2. Passage Summary:
Author's Purpose:
To explain how a historian solved the problem of women being left out of political history by changing how we define political activity.
Summary of Passage Structure:
The author builds their explanation by showing how a research problem was identified and solved:
- First, the author describes how historians in the 1960s-70s tried to improve political history by studying ordinary people instead of just leaders, but this new approach still had a major flaw
- Next, the author explains what that flaw was - both old and new approaches excluded women because the research methods only worked for studying voters, and women couldn't vote until 1920
- Then, the author introduces Paula Baker as the historian who solved this problem by redefining what counts as political activity, and presents Baker's main discovery that women's political work in the 1800s predicted later political trends
- Finally, the author explains Baker's specific findings - that women developed issue-focused, nonpartisan politics through community organizations, and that men eventually adopted this same approach in the twentieth century
Main Point:
When historians expanded their definition of politics to include community organizing and social activism, they discovered that women were actually pioneers who developed the issue-oriented, nonpartisan political style that later became mainstream in twentieth-century politics.
3. Question Analysis:
This question asks us to identify the primary purpose of the entire passage - what the author's main goal was in writing this piece. We need to look at the overall structure and flow rather than getting caught up in specific details about Baker's research.
Connecting to Our Passage Analysis:
From our passage analysis, we can see a clear problem-solution structure:
- Problem identification: Both traditional and newer historical approaches excluded women from political history
- Explanation of the problem: Research methods (like analyzing voting patterns) couldn't capture women's political activities since women couldn't vote
- Solution introduction: Paula Baker solved this by redefining "political activity"
- Details of the solution: Baker's broader definition and her specific findings about women's issue-oriented politics
The passage analysis shows this is fundamentally about methodological innovation - how changing research approaches can reveal previously hidden historical patterns.
Prethinking:
The passage structure moves from "here's a limitation in scholarly approaches" to "here's how one scholar created an alternative approach that solved the problem." The author's purpose is to highlight both the shortcoming (exclusion of women) and describe Baker's alternative methodology that addressed this gap. This isn't about providing data to support existing assumptions or comparing publications - it's about showcasing methodological progress in historical scholarship.
Answer Choices Explained
A
enumerate reason why both traditional scholarly methods and newer scholarly methods have limitations
Why It's Wrong:
• The passage doesn't enumerate multiple reasons why methods have limitations
• It focuses on one specific limitation (exclusion of women) rather than listing various problems
• The emphasis is on the solution (Baker's approach) rather than cataloging limitations
Common Student Mistakes:
1. Did the passage criticize both old and new approaches?
→ Yes, but only for one specific flaw - excluding women - not multiple limitations
1. Does mentioning problems with methods mean the purpose is to enumerate limitations?
→ No, the problems are mentioned to set up Baker's solution, not as the main focus
• The passage doesn't enumerate multiple reasons why methods have limitations
• It focuses on one specific limitation (exclusion of women) rather than listing various problems
• The emphasis is on the solution (Baker's approach) rather than cataloging limitations
Common Student Mistakes:
1. Did the passage criticize both old and new approaches?
→ Yes, but only for one specific flaw - excluding women - not multiple limitations
1. Does mentioning problems with methods mean the purpose is to enumerate limitations?
→ No, the problems are mentioned to set up Baker's solution, not as the main focus
B
identify a shortcoming in a scholarly approach and describe an alternative approach
Why It's Right:
• The passage clearly identifies the shortcoming: both traditional and newer approaches "excluded women"
• It then describes Baker's alternative approach of redefining "political activity" to include women
• The structure follows: problem identification → explanation → alternative solution → details of solution
Key Evidence: "Like the old approach, however, this new approach excluded women... By redefining 'political activity,' historian Paula Baker has developed a political history that includes women."
• The passage clearly identifies the shortcoming: both traditional and newer approaches "excluded women"
• It then describes Baker's alternative approach of redefining "political activity" to include women
• The structure follows: problem identification → explanation → alternative solution → details of solution
Key Evidence: "Like the old approach, however, this new approach excluded women... By redefining 'political activity,' historian Paula Baker has developed a political history that includes women."
C
provide empirical data to support a long-held scholarly assumption
Why It's Wrong:
• Baker challenged existing assumptions rather than supporting them - she showed women were actually political pioneers
• The passage presents Baker's findings as new discoveries, not support for "long-held" beliefs
• Baker's redefinition of politics was innovative, not confirmatory of existing scholarly assumptions
Common Student Mistakes:
1. Doesn't Baker provide evidence about women's political activities?
→ Yes, but this evidence challenges rather than supports previous scholarly assumptions
1. Are there empirical findings mentioned?
→ Yes, but they're used to establish a new perspective, not confirm old assumptions
• Baker challenged existing assumptions rather than supporting them - she showed women were actually political pioneers
• The passage presents Baker's findings as new discoveries, not support for "long-held" beliefs
• Baker's redefinition of politics was innovative, not confirmatory of existing scholarly assumptions
Common Student Mistakes:
1. Doesn't Baker provide evidence about women's political activities?
→ Yes, but this evidence challenges rather than supports previous scholarly assumptions
1. Are there empirical findings mentioned?
→ Yes, but they're used to establish a new perspective, not confirm old assumptions
D
compare two scholarly publications on the basis of their authors' backgrounds
Why It's Wrong:
• The passage focuses on Baker's methodological approach, not comparing different scholars' backgrounds
• Only one scholar (Paula Baker) is discussed in detail
• There's no comparison between different publications or authors
Common Student Mistakes:
1. Doesn't the passage mention different groups of historians?
→ Yes, but it contrasts historical periods and approaches, not individual scholars' backgrounds
1. Are multiple scholarly works referenced?
→ The passage refers to general approaches (traditional, 1960s-70s, Baker's), not specific competing publications
• The passage focuses on Baker's methodological approach, not comparing different scholars' backgrounds
• Only one scholar (Paula Baker) is discussed in detail
• There's no comparison between different publications or authors
Common Student Mistakes:
1. Doesn't the passage mention different groups of historians?
→ Yes, but it contrasts historical periods and approaches, not individual scholars' backgrounds
1. Are multiple scholarly works referenced?
→ The passage refers to general approaches (traditional, 1960s-70s, Baker's), not specific competing publications
E
attempt to provide a partial answer to a long-standing scholarly dilemma
Why It's Wrong:
• The passage doesn't present the exclusion of women as a "long-standing dilemma" that scholars have been trying to solve
• Baker's solution appears to be complete and successful, not partial
• The focus is on presenting Baker's innovative solution rather than acknowledging ongoing scholarly debates
Common Student Mistakes:
1. Wasn't the exclusion of women a long-standing problem?
→ The passage presents it as an unrecognized problem that Baker identified and solved, not a known dilemma
1. Does Baker only partially solve the problem?
→ No, Baker's redefinition successfully includes women and reveals their political innovations
• The passage doesn't present the exclusion of women as a "long-standing dilemma" that scholars have been trying to solve
• Baker's solution appears to be complete and successful, not partial
• The focus is on presenting Baker's innovative solution rather than acknowledging ongoing scholarly debates
Common Student Mistakes:
1. Wasn't the exclusion of women a long-standing problem?
→ The passage presents it as an unrecognized problem that Baker identified and solved, not a known dilemma
1. Does Baker only partially solve the problem?
→ No, Baker's redefinition successfully includes women and reveals their political innovations
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