Question

Read the excerpt from We Shall Not Be Moved.

The union men were amazed. "There never was anything like it," one ILGWU official declared. "An equal number of men never would hold together under what these girls are enduring.”

What conclusion can be drawn by connecting knowledge of the historical time period with information in the text?

Men’s unions were less powerful than women’s in the early twentieth century.
Men’s abilities were often underestimated in the early twentieth century.
Women’s unions were unsuccessful at organizing in the early twentieth century.
Women’s abilities were often underestimated in the early twentieth century.

Answer 1

Women’s abilities were often underestimated in the early twentieth century.

Explanation: The ILGWU official’s surprise that the women could endure and hold together implies a prior assumption that women were weaker or less capable of sustaining labor organization—consistent with common attitudes of the period.