Author: Mark
Reading Level: B2
Last time, we discussed why answer options (B) and (D) must be the wrong answers to the SAT question below. Now, we will explore some words used in this text that help us to eliminate (B) and (D)!
Question
Studying late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century artifacts from an agricultural and domestic site in Texas, archaeologist Ayana O. Flewellen found that Black women employed as farm workers utilized hook-and-eye closures to fasten their clothes at the waist, giving themselves a silhouette similar to the one that was popular in contemporary fashion and typically achieved through more restrictive garments such as corsets. Flewellen argues that this sartorial practice shows that these women balanced hegemonic ideals of femininity with the requirements of their physically demanding occupation.
Which choice best states the main purpose of the text?
A) To evaluate a scholarly work that offers explanations for the impact of urban fashion ideals on Black female farmworkers in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Texas
B) To describe an unexpected discovery that altered a researcher’s view of how rapidly fashions among Black female farmworkers in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Texas changed during the period
C) To summarize the findings of a study that explored factors influencing a fashion practice among Black female farmworkers in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Texas
D) To discuss research that investigated the ways in which Black female farmworkers in late nineteenth and early twentieth-century Texas used fashion practices to resist traditional gender ideals
Advice (part 2)
Important vocabulary from the text (7 words that help you get the correct answer here!) Many of these words have many different meanings. For now, we will only look at the meaning used in the SAT text above:
“balanced”
“…these women balanced hegemonic ideals of femininity with the requirements of their physically demanding occupation.”
In this text, the VERB “balance” means “try to put an equal focus on“. The women here clearly thought two things were both important (1. looking nice and 2. doing their job). They did not just want to look nice but not be able to work properly. They also did not want to just work properly and not look nice. To “balance” these things means they tried to look as nice as they can without it affecting their jobs.
“hegemonic”
“…these women balanced hegemonic ideals of femininity with the requirements of their physically demanding occupation.”
“Hegemonic” is an ADJECTIVE that comes from the countable noun “hegemony”. Hegemonic means “dominant / in total control in a social or political way“. Having hegemony over a group of people means having “leadership” or “total control” over them (In the country Greece, a long time ago, a “hegemon” was their word for a “leader”).
So, in this text, “hegemonic ideals of femininity” basically means “how most people thought women should look“.
“femininity”
The uncountable STATE NOUN basically means “the characteristics of a desirable, attractive woman“. “Feminine” is an adjective that also means this idea. Traditional feminine characteristics in Western culture include elegance, graceful motion, having a “curvy” figure (large chest, thin waist and wide hips) and being calm and kind. “Femininity” is different in different countries and cultures, and it changes over time. In some countries, being thin is seen as not being feminine, while in other countries it is seen as a necessary part of femininity.
“requirements”
A “requirement” is a countable non-physical THING NOUN. It means “something that needs to be done” or “an ACTION that is compulsory“. For example the requirements for driving a car include getting a driver’s licence. The requirements for an English language learner to get into a British university include having a high score in the IELTS exam.
“occupation”
This countable non-physical THING NOUN means a “job”. It means “the (usually long-term) job that you do to get money“.
“contemporary”
This TIME ADJECTIVE means “happening or coming from the same period of time in history“. We use it in this way if we are talking about history. As this text is talking about “late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century” history, “contemporary fashion” means the styles of clothes and make up that were popular at the end of the 19th Century and at the start of the 20th Century.
“silhouette”
This countable non-physical THING NOUN means “the general shape of something without seeing its details“. For example, the silhouette of a man looks like this:
The inside of the picture is black and has no detail, but you can see the outline of it.
“sartorial”
This ADJECTIVE means “about clothes or about making clothes”.
Now, if you read the SAT question text again, the meaning should make a lot more sense!
In our next blog post, we will take a look at answer options (A) and (C), decide which one is wrong and which one is correct and explain why!
If you would like any 1:1 or small-group help with your English, contact us now using the button below!
Leave a Reply