Read the passages and answer the items based on them. You are required to select your answers based on the content of the passage and opinion of the author only. Post colonial cultural analysis has been concerned with the elaboration of theoretical structures that contest the previous dominant western ways of seeing things. A simple analogy would be with feminism, which has involved a comparable kind of project : there was a time when any book you might read, any speech you might hear, any film that you saw, was always told from the point of view of male. The woman was there, but she was always an object, never a subject. From what you would read, or the films you would see, the woman was always the one who was looked at. She was never the observing eye. For centuries it was assumed that women were less intelligent than men and that they did not merit the same degree of education. They were not allowed a vote in the political system. By the same token, any kind of knowledge developed by women was regarded as non-serious, trivial, gossip or alternatively as knowledge that had been discredited by science, such as superstition or traditional practices of childbirth or healing. All these attitudes were part of a larger system in which women were dominated, exploited, and physically abused by men. Slowly, but increasingly, from the end of 18thcentury, feminists began to contest this situation. The more they contested it, the more it became increasingly obvious that these attitudes extended into the whole of the culture; social relations, politics, law, medicine, the arts, popular and academic knowledge.
The contestation to dominance of the male resulted in the
participation of women in social relations, politics, law, medicine, the arts, popular and academic knowledge
Analyzing Feminist Contestation and Cultural Change
The question asks about the result of the contestation to the dominance of the male, according to the provided passage. The passage uses the example of feminism as an analogy to post-colonial cultural analysis, explaining how it challenged the previously dominant male perspective in culture and society.
Understanding the Passage's Core Argument
The passage highlights that, historically, the male point of view was dominant in various cultural spheres like books, speeches, and films. Women were often seen as objects, not subjects. Their intelligence was questioned, and their knowledge was trivialized. Feminists began contesting this situation, starting around the end of the 18th century.
The passage explicitly states:
- Slowly, but increasingly, from the end of 18th century, feminists began to contest this situation.
- The more they contested it, the more it became increasingly obvious that these attitudes extended into the whole of the culture; social relations, politics, law, medicine, the arts, popular and academic knowledge.
This indicates that the contestation didn't just stay as a protest but led to a realization of how deep-seated male dominance was across many areas of life and knowledge. The implication is that the contestation aimed at changing this situation in these specific areas.
Evaluating the Options
Let's look at the options provided:
- Option 1: participation of women in social relations, politics, law, medicine, the arts, popular and academic knowledge. This option directly lists the areas mentioned in the passage where male dominance was found to extend as a result of feminist contestation. The contestation's goal was to challenge the existing power structures in these areas, naturally leading towards greater recognition and participation of women in these previously male-dominated fields.
- Option 2: participation of men in social relations, politics, law, medicine, the arts, popular and academic knowledge. The passage focuses on the impact of challenging *male* dominance and its effect on women's position. It does not discuss increased participation of men as a result of this specific contestation.
- Option 3: participation of women in social movements. While feminists engaging in contestation would participate in social movements, the passage describes the *result* of the contestation as revealing the extent of male dominance across various cultural spheres. Option 1 is a more direct consequence of challenging dominance *in* those spheres, as described in the passage. The passage focuses on the outcome in cultural and societal areas, not merely the act of participation in movements itself.
- Option 4: contestations with males in life leading to divorce. The passage makes no mention of divorce as an outcome of feminist contestation.
Based on the passage, the contestation revealed the pervasiveness of male dominance in "social relations, politics, law, medicine, the arts, popular and academic knowledge". The result of challenging this dominance in these areas is reflected in women gaining a voice and agency, leading to their increased presence and impact, i.e., participation, in these fields. Therefore, Option 1 aligns best with the information given in the passage.
Conclusion
The passage clearly states that the contestation by feminists revealed the extent of male dominance in various societal and cultural domains. The logical outcome of challenging this exclusion and trivialization is the increased presence and involvement of women in these areas. Thus, the contestation led to the participation of women in social relations, politics, law, medicine, the arts, popular and academic knowledge.
Revision Table: Feminist Contestation
| Concept | Description from Passage | Impact of Contestation |
|---|---|---|
| Male Dominance | Point of view in books, speeches, films always male; woman as object, never subject. | Challenged, revealing extent in culture. |
| Women's Knowledge | Regarded as non-serious, trivial, gossip, or discredited by science. | Implicitly challenged for recognition and validity. |
| Areas of Culture Mentioned | Social relations, politics, law, medicine, arts, popular and academic knowledge. | Attitudes of male dominance extended here, became focus of contestation, leading to increased women's involvement. |
Additional Information: Feminism and Cultural Analysis
Feminism is a range of social movements, political movements, and ideologies that aim to define, establish, and achieve the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. It emerged as a response to patriarchal systems which historically granted men privilege and power over women.
Cultural analysis, particularly in the context discussed in the passage, involves examining how power structures, like patriarchy or colonialism, are embedded within and perpetuated by cultural forms (literature, art, media, knowledge systems). Feminist cultural analysis looks specifically at how gender roles, biases, and power dynamics are represented and reinforced in culture.
The contestation mentioned in the passage refers to the active challenging of these dominant structures and perspectives. This challenging process involves raising awareness, advocating for change, and creating alternative narratives and knowledge systems that include and value women's experiences and perspectives. The result is a shift in how culture is created, interpreted, and accessed, leading to greater participation and representation for women.
Important Questions from Reading Comprehension
Why, according to the writer can't people be motivated to use a resource prudently?
1. They feel that others may overuse the resource
2. It is possible to substitute the resource
3. Abundance of the resource availability
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
When do people use resources exhaustively?
The self-interest of people affects the use of renewable resources
People rooted in a locality
Which among the following is closest in meaning with the word 'deplete'?
