MCAT Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills Question 63: Answer and Explanation
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Question: 63
4. Which of the following best characterizes the author's attitude towards the effects of the Depression on gender roles?
- A. A missed opportunity
- B. A tragic development
- C. An important legacy
- D. A radical change
Correct Answer: A
Explanation:
A This is a Tone/Attitude question.
Note: This question is essentially asking about the author's overall attitude toward the events of the passage. Thus, use your sense of the author's overall purpose in writing the passage.
A: Yes. See paragraph 4: "Given the need for women's earnings, the widespread employment of women might have been one of the most important legacies of the Depression era. But discriminatory policies and public hostility weakened that potential." The word choice in paragraph 5 also suggests the author might have supported changes to traditional roles in marriage: "Viable long-term job prospects for women might have prompted new ways of structuring family roles. In the face of persistent obstacles, however, that potential withered."
B: No. While there reason to believe the author might like to have seen more lasting change take place (see the explanation for choice A), the word "tragic" is too strong to describe the tone of the passage.
C: No. This contradicts the author's attitude as expressed in the passage. In paragraph 4 the author states that the employment of women might have been an important legacy, but it was not allowed to take root.
D: No. This choice represents a misreading of the main idea of the passage. The potential for radical change to gender roles in marriage did not turn into lasting change during the Depression.