21. The passage suggests that the Bluestockings might have had a more significant impact on society if it had not been for which of the following?

Basically this question is a weaken question or put this way : IF x would happen we would have Y result but indeed we did not because of X did not happen for a different scenario

(A) Competitiveness among their salons

Above no competitors or competitiveness is mentioned

(B) Their emphasis on individualism

Individualism is not mentioned

(C) The limited scope of their activities

Nothing about the customers and their number

(D) Their acceptance of the French salon as a model for their own salons

No. They adapted the formula. Nothing talks about acceptance

(E) Their unwillingness to defy aggressively the conventions of their age

If they did so maybe they had had more success. Basically they had a low profile. Not so many rich people attended their saloons.
Correct

Hope now is clear.

I got all correct, except for q22. Can someone help me with q22? I was wavering between 2 options but ended up choosing B, which is wrong. Why not "community center?"

The following is the exact reason why they could have been more impactful

"Though the Bluestockings were trailblazers when compared with the salonnieres, they were not feminists. They were too traditional, too hemmed in by their generation to demand social and political rights."

Because they were too confined and conformed to social orders, therefore, they did not demand more than just a simple equality in education. They could have demanded social & political rights, which will deepen their impact

Great explanation, thanks. Good to know more about the community centers' purposes

For question number 24 why is option E wrong??

The passage address the situation in that era in England and France but it does not talk about any reform.

In fact, tbe last sentence of tbe passage clearly state that the role of the women started taking in consideration.

So C is the answer. We were is a sort of pre era of tbe role of the women in the society.

Regards

I also got Q21 wrong in my attempt. Reflecting on the question, I think the answer can be trailed back to the last paragraph

Though the Bluestockings were trailblazers when compared with the salonnieres, they were not feminists. They were too traditional, too hemmed in by their generation to demand social and political rights.


That's kind of paraphrasing the option E. The key is to be careful and attentive while reading.

Can someone help with Q.23 please

This question could be managed as a positive / negative answer or neutral

The sentence in the last paragraph comes in handy. After all, the question itself, probably, suggests some positive or negative thought by the author. Oddly neutral

Though the Bluestockings were trailblazers when compared with the salonnieres, they were not feminists. They were too traditional, too hemmed in by their generation to demand social and political rights.

The words Too (underlined) suggest us that the author disagree what the salonnieres were, in a confident way


To an assertion that Bluestockings were feminists, the author would most probably respond with which of the following?

(A) Admitted uncertainty

Neutral. Cross off

(B) Qualified disagreement

Correct. See my reasoning above

(C) Unquestioning approval

Positive. Off

(D) Complete indifference

negative, yes, could be the answer but is too extreme. Be aware always of too extreme answer

(E) Strong disparagement

I do not see a disparagement in the passage


I hope this helps

1- I finished reading and answering all the questions in 18 mnts, is it too much or good ?
2- Q. 23, it is mentioned in the passage that it is like an informal university. So, if we compare it to nowadays, it is like a class in university. Why it is not C ?

3- 24. why it is not A ?

Sir 18 minutes is not possible

If you think that the Verbal section is 30 minutes for 20 questions......make a proportion the time you would need to complete the section

For 24, while it does indicate that the salons were a precursor to something, where does it actually mention that they were precursors to Feminism? There isn't any substantial evidence that it engendered Feminism in the following years.

17. Which of the following best states the central idea of the passage?

The central idea is usually found in the first paragraph and also in the first sentence of each paragraph. But in this passage it is the first paragraph which contains the central idea. It is mandatory to read the first paragraph carefully in the long passages.

(A) The establishment of literary salons was a response to reformers' demands for social rights for women. Wrong.
(B) Literary salons were originally intended to be a meeting ground for intellectuals of both sexes, but eventually became social gatherings with little educational value. Wrong.
(C) In England, as in France, the general prejudice against higher education for women limited women's function in literary salons to a primarily social one. Wrong.
(D) The literary salons provided a sounding board for French and English women who called for access to all the educational institutions in their societies on an equal basis with men. Wrong.
(E) For women, who did not have access to higher education as men did, literary salons provided an alternate route to learning and a challenge to some of society'S basic assumptions about women. Correct


18. According to the passage, a significant distinction between the salonnieres and Bluestockings was in the way each group regarded which of the following?

relevant lines from the passage

The French salon incorporated aristocratic attitudes that exalted courtly pleasure and emphasized artistic accomplishments. The English Bluestockings, originating from a more modest background, emphasized learning and work over pleasure.

(A) The value of acquiring knowledge. Wrong.
(B) The role of pleasure in the activities of the literary salon. Correct.
(C) The desirability of a complete break with societal traditions. Wrong.
(D) The inclusion of women of different backgrounds in the salons. Wrong.
(E) The attainment of full social and political equality with men. Wrong.


19. The author refers to differences in social background between salonnieres and Bluestockings in order to do which of the following?

relevant lines from the passage

Differences in social orientation and background can account perhaps for differences in the nature of French and English salons.

(A) Criticize the view that their choices of activities were significantly influenced by male salon members.Wrong.
(B) Discuss the reasons why literary salons in France were established before those in England. Wrong.
(C) Question the importance of the Bluestockings in shaping public attitudes toward educated women. Wrong.
(D) Refute the argument that the French salons had little influence over the direction the English salons took. Wrong.
(E) Explain the differences in atmosphere and style in their salons. Correct


20. Which of the following statements is most compatible with the principles of the salonnieres as described in the passage?

(A) Women should aspire to be not only educated but independent as well. Wrong.
(B) The duty of the educated woman is to provide an active political model for less educated women.Wrong.
(C) Devotion to pleasure and art is justified in itself. Correct.
(D) Substance, rather than form, is the most important consideration in holding a literary salon.Wrong.
(E) Men should be excluded from groups of women's rights supporters.Wrong.


21. The passage suggests that the Bluestockings might have had a more significant impact on society if it had not been for which of the following?

relevant lines from the passage

Though the Bluestockings were trailblazers when compared with the salonnieres, they were not feminists. They were too traditional, too hemmed in by their generation to demand social and political rights.

(A) Competitiveness among their salons.Wrong.
(B) Their emphasis on individualism.Wrong.
(C) The limited scope of their activities.Wrong.
(D) Their acceptance of the French salon as a model for their own salons.Wrong.
(E) Their unwillingness to defy aggressively the conventions of their age. Correct.


22. Which of the following could best be considered a twentieth-century counterpart of an eighteenth-century literary salon as it is described in the passage?

(A) A social sorority. Wrong.
(B) A community center. Wrong.
(C) A lecture course on art. Wrong.
(D) A humanities study group. Correct.
(E) An association of moral reformers. Wrong.


23. To an assertion that Bluestockings were feminists, the author would most probably respond with which of the following?

relevant lines from the passage

Though the Bluestockings were trailblazers when compared with the salonnieres, they were not feminists. They were too traditional, too hemmed in by their generation to demand social and political rights. Nonetheless, in their desire for education, their willingness to go beyond the confines of the salon in pursuing their interests, and their championing of unity among women, the Bluestockings began the process of questioning women’s role in society.

(A) Admitted uncertainty. Wrong.
(B) Qualified disagreement. Correct.
(C) Unquestioning approval.Wrong.
(D) Complete indifference. Wrong.
(E) Strong disparagement. Wrong.


24. Which of the following titles best describes the content of the passage?

relevant lines in the passage

Though the Bluestockings were trailblazers when compared with the salonnieres, they were not feminists. They were too traditional, too hemmed in by their generation to demand social and political rights. Nonetheless, in their desire for education, their willingness to go beyond the confines of the salon in pursuing their interests, and their championing of unity among women, the Bluestockings began the process of questioning women’s role in society.


(A) Eighteenth-Century Egalitarianism. Wrong
(B) Feminists of the Eighteenth Century. Wrong
(C) Eighteenth-Century Precursors of Feminism. Correct.
(D) Intellectual Life in the Eighteenth Century. Wrong
(E) Female Education Reform in the Eighteenth Century. Wrong

Nonetheless, in their desire for education, their willingness to go beyond the confines of the salon in pursuing their interests, and their championing of unity among women, the Bluestockings began the process of questioning women’s role in society

Answer to your second question

Many writers have defined the woman’s role in the salon as that of an intelligent hostess, but the salon had more than a social function for women. It was an informal university, too, where women exchanged ideas with educated persons, read their own works and heard those of others, and received and gave criticism.

The salon was so many things, you can't even reduce it to a university, there is no question of comparing it to just a lecture course on art. That is why C is not an answer.

Answer to your third question

Though the Bluestockings were trailblazers when compared with the salonnieres, they were not feminists. They were too traditional, too hemmed in by their generation to demand social and political rights. Nonetheless, in their desire for education, their willingness to go beyond the confines of the salon in pursuing their interests, and their championing of unity among women, the Bluestockings began the process of questioning women’s role in society.

So we know for certain, they were precursors to feminists. So there is no question of uncertainty here. That is why A is not an answer.

Though the Bluestockings were trailblazers when compared with the salonnieres, they were not feminists. They were too traditional, too hemmed in by their generation to demand social and political rights.

Carcass sir is "they" referring to Bluestockings or salonnieres?

Mhhhh
apparently a simple question. almost dull

However, it is a good question indeed.

This could open almost an infinite debate because at a glance, usually, the pronoun refers to the closest words that preceded it.

But in this case we have to read carefully and see the overall meaning.


Though the Bluestockings were trailblazers when compared with the salonnieres, they were not feminists.

X when compared to Y is still of the same Value. Maybe x is 1 and Y is zero. X is still one

They refer back to Bluestockings. Notice also the keyword Though: it is quite important because this specific adverb keeps the meaning of the sentence on bluestocking and not makes a shift onto salonnieres

Hope this helps