Question

You will be reading from an essay and a play dealing with the lives of women in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Which predictions would you make about the texts based on the time period? Check all that apply.

Women will have fewer opportunities than men.
Both texts will discuss the need for progress in equal rights.
Some men will show support for women’s rights and independence.
Women will struggle with being wives while maintaining their independence.
The essay will discuss the need for equality, and the play will show inequality.

Answer 1

Select:
- Women will have fewer opportunities than men.
- Some men will show support for women’s rights and independence.
- Women will struggle with being wives while maintaining their independence.
- The essay will discuss the need for equality, and the play will show inequality.

Reason: In that period women generally had fewer legal, educational, and economic opportunities; some contemporary men (and male characters) did advocate for female education and rights; literature often explores the tension between marriage and personal freedom; essays of the era commonly make explicit arguments for equality while plays are more likely to dramatize social inequalities. I did not select “Both texts will discuss the need for progress in equal rights” because a play may illustrate inequality without explicitly arguing for political progress.