Michelene Pesantubbee, a historian and citizen of the Choctaw Nation, has identified a dilemma inherent to research on the status of women in her tribe during the 1600s and 1700s: the primary sources from that era, travel narratives and other accounts by male European colonizers, underestimate the degree of power conferred on Choctaw women by their traditional roles in political, civic, and ceremonial life. Pesantubbee argues that the Choctaw oral tradition and findings from archaeological sites in the tribe’s homeland supplement the written record by providing crucial insights into those roles.

Question

Michelene Pesantubbee, a historian and citizen of the Choctaw Nation, has identified a dilemma inherent to research on the status of women in her tribe during the 1600s and 1700s: the primary sources from that era, travel narratives and other accounts by male European colonizers, underestimate the degree of power conferred on Choctaw women by their traditional roles in political, civic, and ceremonial life. Pesantubbee argues that the Choctaw oral tradition and findings from archaeological sites in the tribe’s homeland supplement the written record by providing crucial insights into those roles.
Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?
Choose 1 answer:
Choose 1 answer:
(Choice A)   It details the shortcomings of certain historical sources, then argues that research should avoid those sources altogether.
A
It details the shortcomings of certain historical sources, then argues that research should avoid those sources altogether.
(Choice B)   It describes a problem that arises in research on a particular topic, then sketches a historian’s approach to addressing that problem.
B
It describes a problem that arises in research on a particular topic, then sketches a historian’s approach to addressing that problem.
(Choice C)   It lists the advantages of a particular research method, then acknowledges a historian’s criticism of that method.
C
It lists the advantages of a particular research method, then acknowledges a historian’s criticism of that method.
(Choice D)   It characterizes a particular topic as especially challenging to research, then suggests a related topic for historians to pursue instead.
D
It characterizes a particular topic as especially challenging to research, then suggests a related topic for historians to pursue instead.

GPT-4o mini · Answer

The best choice that describes the overall structure of the text is:

(Choice B) It describes a problem that arises in research on a particular topic, then sketches a historian’s approach to addressing that problem.

This is because the text presents the issue of insufficient historical sources regarding the power of Choctaw women during the 1600s and 1700s and discusses how Michelene Pesantubbee proposes to address this through oral traditions and archaeological findings.