#21 - Global Reference, Main Point

[Administrator]

Please post your questions below!

[nrpandolfo]

Can we get rid of answer choice C because of the word "unlike"?

[Alex Bodaken]

nrpandolfo,

That's exactly right - we have no evidence that the first clause of answer choice (C) "Unlike most Social Darwinists of her time..." is true (we don't know what percentage is in each camp), and so we can rule out this answer choice as being accurate.

Hope that helps!
Alex

[racoonprinter]

Why is A incorrect?

[KelseyWoods]

Hi racoonprinter!

Answer choice (A) states that Gilman's theory contributed the central doctrine to one type of Social Darwinism. But Gilman did not supply this type of Social Darwinism with a central doctrine. Rather, Gilman applied the theory of these Social Darwinists to the movement for social change. So basically answer choice (A) gets the relationship between Gilman's theory and Social Darwinism a little backwards. Gilman did not contribute the central doctrine to this type of Social Darwinism. Instead, she applied the central doctrine of these Social Darwinists to the movement for social change.

Hope this helps!

Best,
Kelsey

[ArizonaRobin]

I was really stuck between D and E on this question and ultimately chose the wrong one. Can you tell me what your thought process would be in eliminating E and settling on D?

[Rachael Wilkenfeld]

Hi Robin,

We know from the first paragraph that her ideas and writings were widely read and discussed, but we don't know that her contributions were recognized, as stated by answer choice (E). For all we know, early 20th century thinkers read, discussed, and discounted her views, and it wasn't until later that she was recognized. Also, it's not just that she wrote about women's issues, but she wrote about them as part of her Social Darwinism. They were intertwined, not separable, as answer choice (E) might have you believe. For what it's worth, I'd eliminate answer choice (E) as soon as I got to the "contributions recognized" bit. Once a statement is not fully supported by the passage, we know it can't be the main point.

Answer choice (D) doesn't have any aspect not supported by the passage, and it does a better job of tying everything together as the passage does. It's a broad statement about Gilman's work as a whole and her role within the Social Darwinist thinkers.

Hope that helps!

[dimi.wassef@yahoo.com]

Do we have evidence that Charlotte "advised women" (answer choice D)?

[Robert Carroll]

dimi.wassef,

The third sentence of the last paragraph demonstrates that, specifically the language where she "urges women to further social evolution". The next sentence after that is also perfect context to answer your question.

Robert Carroll

[JasminLys]

Sorry I still have difficulty crossing off C. I think "unlike most Social Darwinists of her time" can be supported by line 31 - 33, which seem to indicate Gilman was unique, or important in the debate because she elevated the abstract theoretical concerns to practical social implications, and very few people of her time did that. I think the passage wants to emphasize Gilman played an important role in the debate. And she's important because she did what's on line 31 - 33 that no one else (or very few people) did. D is less favorable to me because it doesn't emphasize why Gilman was important (or different from other Social Darwinists). Can someone please explain?