These passages concern themselves with the nineteenth-century arguments made for and against women’s right to vote in the United States. Passage 1 is an excerpt from an address by Isabella Beecher Hooker before the International Council of Women in 1888. Passage 2 is an excerpt from an 1878 report from the Senate’s Committee on Privileges and Elections in response to a proposed constitutional amendment that would give women the right to vote.
PASSAGE 1
First let me speak of the constitution of the United States, and assert that there is not a line in it, nor a word, forbidding women to vote; but, properly interpreted, that is, interpreted
by the Declaration of Independence, and by the assertions of the Fathers, it actually guarantees to women the right to vote in all elections, both state and national. Listen to the preamble to the constitution, and the preamble you know, is the key to what follows; it is the concrete, general statement of the great principles which subsequent articles express in detail.
The preamble says: “We, The People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
Commit this to memory, friends; learn it by heart as well as by head, and I should have no need to argue the question before you of my right to vote. For women are “people” surely, and desire, as much as men, to say the least, to establish justice and to insure domestic tranquility; and, brothers, you will never insure domestic tranquility in the days to come unless you allow women to vote, who pay taxes and bear equally with yourselves all the burdens of society; for they do not mean any longer to submit patiently and quietly to such injustice, and the sooner men understand this and graciously submit to become the political equals of their mothers, wives, and daughters – aye, of their grandmothers, for that is my category, instead of their political masters, as they now are, the sooner will this precious domestic tranquility be insured. Women are surely “people,” I said, and were when these words were written, and were as anxious as men to establish justice and promote the general welfare, and no one will have the hardihood to deny that our foremothers have we not talked about our forefathers alone long enough? did their full share in the work of establishing justice, providing for the common defense, and promoting the general welfare in all those early days.
The truth is, friends, that when liberties had to be gained by the sword and protected by the sword, men necessarily came to the front and seemed to be the only creators and defenders of these liberties; hence all the way down women have been content to do their patriotic work silently and through men, who are the fighters by nature rather than themselves, until the present day; but now at last, when it is established that ballots instead of bullets are to rule the world .now, it is high time that women ceased to attempt to establish justice and promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to themselves and their posterity, through the votes of men…
PASSAGE 2
This proposed amendment forbids the United States or any State to deny or abridge the right to vote on account of sex. If adopted, it will make several millions of female voters, totally inexperienced in political affairs, quite generally dependent upon the other sex, all incapable of performing military duty and without the power to enforce the laws which their numerical strength may enable them to make, and comparatively very few of whom wish to assume the irksome and responsible political duties which this measure thrusts upon them.
An experiment so novel, a change so great, should only be made slowly and in response to a general public demand, of the existence of which there is no evidence before your
committee. Petitions from various parts of the country, containing by estimate about 30,000 names, have been presented to Congress asking for this legislation. They were procured through the efforts of woman-suffrage societies, thoroughly organized, with active and zealous managers. The ease with which signatures may be procured to any petition is well known. The small number of petitioners, when compared with that of the intelligent women in the country, is striking evidence that there exists among them no general desire to take up the heavy burden of governing, which so many men seek to evade. It would be unjust, unwise, and impolitic to impose that burden on the great mass of women throughout the country who do not wish for it, to gratify the comparatively few who do.
It has been strongly urged that without the right of suffrage women are and will be subjected to great oppression and injustice. But everyone who has examined the subject at all knows that without female suffrage, legislation for years has improved and is still improving the condition of women. The disabilities imposed upon her by the common law have, one by one, been swept away until in most of the States she has the full right to her property and all, or nearly all the rights which can be granted without impairing or destroying the marriage relation. These changes have been wrought by the spirit of the age, and are not, generally at least, the result of any agitation by women in their own behalf.
Nor can women justly complain of any partiality in the administration of justice. They have the sympathy of judges and particularly of juries to an extent which would warrant loud complaint on the part of their adversaries of the sterner sex. Their appeals to legislatures against injustice are never unheeded, and there is no doubt that when any considerable part of the women of any State really wish for the right to vote it will be granted without the intervention of Congress.
Any State may grant the right of suffrage to women. Some of them have done so to a limited extent, and perhaps with good results. It is evident that in some States public opinion is much more strongly in favor of it than it is in others. Your committee regards it as unwise and inexpedient to enable three-fourths in number of the States, through an amendment to the National Constitution, to force woman suffrage upon the other fourth in which the public opinion of both sexes may be strongly adverse to such a change.
For these reasons, your committee reports back said resolution with a recommendation that it be indefinitely postponed.
Question 1. The author of Passage 1 supports her argument by
A. providing information about the educational levels achieved by women.
B. sharing anecdotes about women who fought in the American Revolution.
C. referring to principles already accepted by her audience.
D. describing her personal experience as a citizen of the United States.
Question 2. The phrase learn it by heart as well as by head in line Passage 1, suggests A. an emotional and intellectual response.
B. rote memorization.
C. learning from experience rather than books.
D. accepting an argument on faith.
Question 3. In Passage 1, anxious most nearly means
A. irritable. B. eager. C. apprehensive. D. hasty.
Question 4. Passage 1 portray American women as
A. rebellious. B. ambitious. C. patriotic. D. uneducated.
Question 5. Which of the following best describes the author’s strategy in Passage 2?
A. summarizing public perceptions of the issue
B. anticipating opposing viewpoints and then refuting them C. relating an incident and describing its significance D. persuading his audience through emotional appeal Question 6. As used in Passage 2, novel most nearly means
A. rare. B. original. C. untried. D. brilliant.
Question 7. In the third paragraph of Passage 2, the author characterizes the activists of the women’s suffrage movement as
A. ardent. B. courageous. C. conformist. D. modest.
Question 8. The author of Passage 2 cites the example of a woman’s right to her property in order to
A. show that women are well represented by the legislature even if they cannot vote.
B. demonstrate that if women can be responsible for property, they can be responsible voters.
C. prove that unjust laws affect the condition of women.
D. support the belief that political change should happen quickly.
Question 9. Which aspect of the topic of women’s voting rights is emphasized in Passage 2, but not in Passage 1?
A. the interpretation of the Constitution B. the contributions of American women C. the tax-paying status of women D. how the judiciary treats women Question 10. The two authors would most likely agree with which statement?
A. Most women do not desire the right to vote.
B. Women are not meant to be soldiers.
C. Voting is more of a burden than a privilege.
D. American society is ready for female voters.
ĐÁP ÁN
1. C 2. A 3. B 4. C 5. B 6. C 7. A 8. A 9. D 10. B
GIẢI THÍCH CHI TIẾT Question 1: Đáp án C.
Keywords: passage 1, support, argument.
Clue: “First let me speak of the constitution of the United States, and assert that there is not a line in it, nor a word, forbidding women to vote...The preamble says: “We, The People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic
tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity,...” (Trước tiên, tôi xin phép nói về Hiến pháp của Hoa Kì, và khẳng định rằng không chỉ có 1 dòng, 1 từ trong đó, nói về việc nghiêm cấm phụ nữ bầu cử... Lời mở đầu nói: "Chúng tôi, nhân dân của Hoa Kì, với mục đích hình thành nên khối liên minh hoàn hào hơn, lập lại công lý, đảm bảo an ninh trong nước, cung cấp sự phòng thủ chung, thúc đẩy phúc lợi chung và bảo đảm lợi ích quyền tự do cho chính mình và con cháu của mình,...) Vậy Beecher Hooker đã nói đến Hiến pháp và đọc thuộc lòng lời mở đầu để kêu gọi và thuyết phục khán giả của mình. Đáp án C là phù hợp. Các đáp án khác không đúng với cách tiếp cận người nghe.
Đáp án A. providing information about the educational levels achieved by women. (Đưa ra thông tin về trình độ giáo dục mà phụ nữ đạt được).
Đáp án B. sharing anecdotes about women who fought in the American Revolution. (Chia sẻ những giai đoạn người phụ nữ đã chiến đấu trong Cách mạng Mỹ)
Đáp án C. referring to principles already accepted by her audience. (Đề cập đến văn bản luật được chấp nhận bởi người nghe)
Đáp án D. describing her personal experience as a citizen of the United States. (Mô tả trải nghiệm cá nhân của cô ta khi là công dân Mỹ)
Question 2: Đáp án A.
Clue: “Commit this to memory, friends; learn it by heart as well as by head, and I should have no need to argue the question before you of my right to vote.” (Cam kết điều này vào bộ nhớ, bạn bè, học thuộc lòng nó bằng trái tim cũng như bằng trí óc, và tôi không nên có nhu cầu tranh luận các câu hỏi trước bạn về quyền bầu cử của tôi). Vậy đáp án A là phù hợp. Các đáp án khác sai vì không phù hợp nghĩa.
Đáp án A. an emotional and intellectual response. (Cách trả lời bằng cả cảm xúc và trí óc) Đáp án B. rote memorization. (học thuộc lòng)
Đáp án C. learning from experience rather than books. (học từ trải nghiệm hơn là học từ sách vở)
Đáp án D. accepting an argument on faith. (chấp nhận sự tranh cãi 1 cách thành thật) Question 3: Đáp án B.
Clue: “Women are surely “people,” I said, and were when these words were written, and were as anxious as men to establish justice and promote the general welfare, and no one will have the hardihood to deny...” (Tôi nói, Phụ nữ chắc chắn là người, và khi những từ ngữ này được viết ra, và phụ nữ cũng mong muốn như đàn ông để có được quyền bình đẳng và thúc đẩy phúc lợi xã hội, và không ai có đủ can đảm để từ chối...). Từ “anxious có nghĩa là lo lắng, hoặc sợ hãi cùng cực. Một ý nghĩa khác của nó là hăng hái hoặc tha thiết muốn. Trong bài này, từ “anxious” được dùng với nghĩa thứ 2. Đáp án B là phù hợp. Các đáp án khác sai vì không hợp nghĩa.
Đáp án A. irritable. (cáu kỉnh).
Đáp an B. eager. (háo hức).
Đáp án C. apprehensive. (e ngại).