Question

At this very moment, as we sit here, women around the world are giving birth, raising children, cooking meals, washing clothes, cleaning houses, planting crops, working on assembly lines, running companies, and running countries. Women also are dying from diseases that should have been prevented or treated. They are watching their children succumb to malnutrition caused by poverty and economic deprivation. They are being denied the right to go to school by their own fathers and brothers. They are being forced into prostitution, and they are being barred from the bank lending offices and banned from the ballot box.

Which statement best explains Clinton’s use of parallelism?

It highlights the many possibilities women have when they learn from other women.
It emphasizes how conditions are changing for women in different professions.
It contrasts the great achievements of women with the continued threats to women.
It illustrates how economic situations are the most important issue facing women.

Answer 1

It contrasts the great achievements of women with the continued threats to women.

Explanation: The parallel list of varied, positive roles women occupy is set against a similarly structured list of harms and deprivations, highlighting the sharp contrast between their contributions and the injustices they still face.