Question

Read the excerpt from Chapter 5 of Wheels of Change.

Would the bicycle help bring about a new kind of equality between men and women? Elizabeth Cady Stanton and her colleagues certainly hoped so. At any rate, the image of a female cyclist quickly became associated with efforts to win more rights for women. When Cambridge University in England decided to offer female students full admission in 1897, the male students protested by hanging a figure of a woman on a bicycle in effigy.

What conclusion can best be drawn from this synthesis of new information with previously covered information?

The bicycle was successful in achieving equality between the sexes.
England was ahead in its fight for equal opportunities for women.
Many people strongly opposed the increasing rights of women.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton fought for a woman’s right to attend college.

Answer 1

Many people strongly opposed the increasing rights of women.

Reason: The passage describes a vivid protest — male students hanging a woman-on-a-bicycle effigy when Cambridge admitted women — which shows active, strong opposition to women's gaining rights. The other choices are not supported by the passage.