Although the Journal Social Text was Never at the Forefront of Publishing Articles on Feminism

Reading Passage Question

Although the journal Social Text was never at the forefront of publishing articles on feminism and never debated whether capitalism was the source of women’s oppression in 1970s or whether male supremacy was itself a systematic form of domination, it is not clear whether social feminist’s classification of the journal as the one run by “boy’s club” could have been completely justified till recently. There could have been many reasons that the journal’s mission statement as set out in its first prospectus in 1979 did not take notice of the burning issues feminists were then discussing. May be triumvirate of founding editors were too focused on Marxist high theory to consider gender alongside economic class as an important mode of social organization and oppression, or on the other hand they may have simply chosen on purpose to not include feminism specifically in its charter.

The recent paper by Rosa Luxemburg suggests that the first prospectus contained the seeds of its own feminist undoing. The founders demarcated fields of focus for the journal that could hardly be explored without attention to gender, sexuality, and the historical experiences of women. They were rather interested in “everyday life,” “mass culture,” and “consumer society”. Hence, the little feminist work that appears in Social Text is in the realm of cultural analysis not revolutionary praxis and is often buried in the back of the journal in “Unequal Developments,” the section that offers reviews and experimental writing.

For example, in the second edition of the journal in the section Unequal Developments, Christine Holmland performs a thorough feminist dissection of the then-current Disney film ‘The North Avenue Irregulars’, showing how this comedy about a group of church ladies who take on the local mafia superficially celebrates, but finally deflates the idea of women’s activism, and along the way reinforces gendered roles at every level of social life.

“Although the journal Social Text was never at the forefront of publishing articles on feminism ”- is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.

This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 6 comprehension questions. The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed for testing candidates’ abilities in understanding, analysing, and applying information or concepts. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.

Solution and Explanation

Question 1
What does the passage suggest about the kind of articles published by Social Text journal in relation to feminism?

1. It actively published articles on the feminism debating the causes of oppression of women.
2. It did not publish any articles on feminism or made efforts to further women’s cause.
3. While it did publish some articles, they were not the more provocative or controversial.
4. Its founders discounted the need to focus on women and women’s issues.
5. It refrained from focusing on any burning issues whether related to feminism or any other societal ill.

Question 2
What does the author imply in the highlighted text

1. Argue that the triumvirate of founding editors did not take that challenges the women face to be serious enough to merit a place in the journal.
2. Suggest that omission of feminist issues might have been an innocent mistake rather than a deliberate act.
3. Prove that the triumvirate of founding editors was more focused on male related sufferings rather than female related ones.
4. State that the original purpose of Social Text excluded the focus on women.
5. Present one side of the argument blaming the deliberate action of editors for Social Text’s lack of articles on feminism.

Question 3
The passage suggested that while drafting the first prospectus, the editors

1. Excluded the journal from focusing on those fields that required specific attention to gender, sexuality, and the historical experiences of women.
2. Chose only those fields of focus that were not concerned with the well-being of women.
3. More interested in the emancipation of common man than women.
4. Were too focused on society to focus on the status of women.
5. Only allowed articles related to women in the last sections of the journals.

Question 4
Why does the author cite Christine Holmland’s example? To

1. Illustrate the non-revolutionary nature of work related to women published by the Social Text.
2. Argue that while not on the forefront of feminism, the journal still did some important investigative reports.
3. Prove that while the feminist work might not have hogged the limelight of the cover page, it was nevertheless given enough space to be expressed completely.
4. Demonstrate that the prospectus provided enough freedom to the members of the journal to publish articles on issues that they deemed important.
5. Compare and contrast the work done by Social Text with that done by other journals in that era.

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