For passages that are one, long paragraph, then it might be helpful to split the passage into appropriate sections -

In the first section, the author introduces a change, i.e., the professionalization of the study of history and states that this change had important implications for women.

In the second section, the author gives an opinion, that women disappearing as objects of study during this period is ironic and presents two apparently contradictory pieces of evidence to support this position.

In the third section, the author provides two reasons that account for women's diminishing role as historians during this period.

Now, let us check the questions –

Question (1) - The passage is primarily concerned with

Throughout the passage, the author focuses on the consequences of professionalization of the study of history, specifically with regard to historians' perception of women and of women as historians. The author brings up multiple methods and perspectives to describe how this one large change impacted different aspects of women in the academic field of history (Read the first line of the passage).

Choice (A) is the Best Answer.


Question (2) - Which of the following best describes one of the "elements of irony" referred to in the highlighted text?

Here we can use the process of elimination –

(A) Although the more scientific-minded historians of the second half of the nineteenth century considered women appropriate subjects for historical writing, earlier historians did not - The passage describes the "disappearance of women as objects of historical studies during this period". Choice (A) suggests the opposite, so it can be eliminated.


(B) Although archival research uncovered documentary evidence of women's role in history, historians continued to rely on secondary sources for information about women – The passage specifically states that "the shift to more rigorous research methods required that secondary sources be disregarded." Choice (B) directly contradicts this information and is eliminated.


(C) Although historians were primarily concerned with writing about the public sphere, they generally relegated women to the private sphere – This seems in line with the information in the passage, but does it describe "elements of irony." If women belong to the private sphere and historians are primarily focused on the public sphere, we would expect a disappearance of women as objects of historical studies. There is nothing inconsistent or contradictory about that result, so, we can eliminate the answer choice C.


(D) The scientific approach to history revealed more information about women, but that information was ignored – If we read the passage, we have a line which says that, “On the other hand, the development of archival research and the critical editing of collections of documents began to reveal significant new historical evidence concerning women, yet this evidence was perceived as substantially irrelevant." We would expect an approach that reveals more information about women to increase historical studies of women, but that same approach caused historians to ignore the very information they discovered. This surprising and seemingly contradictory result (much like a discrepancy) has "elements of irony", unlike the facts stated in choice (C). Therefore, choice (D) seems like the best answer so far.



(E) The professionalization of history, while marginalizing much of women's writing about history, enhanced the importance of women as historical subjects - As stated for choice (A), the passage describes the "disappearance of women as objects of historical studies during this period". This implies that the importance of women as historical subjects were not enhanced during this period, so (E) can be eliminated.

Choice (D) is the Best Answer.


Question (3) - According to the passage, the development of archival research and the critical editing of collections of documents had which of the following effects?

In this question, we are asked which choice was an effect of the development of archival research and the critical editing of collections of documents. In the passage, it has been mentioned that, “On the other hand, the development of archival research and the critical editing of collections of documents began to reveal significant new historical evidence concerning women, .." Answer choice (D) perfectly matches with what we are looking for.

Choice (D) is the Best Answer.