Choice B is the best answer. In Passage 1, Beecher makes the point that even if women in her society are perceived as being inferior to men, they are still able to effect considerable influence on that society: “But while woman holds a subordinate relation in society to the other sex, it is not because it was designed that her duties or her influence should be any the less important, or all-pervading” (lines 6-10).

Choice A is incorrect because Beecher describes the dynamic between men and women in terms of the way they can change society, not in terms of security and physical safety. Choice C is incorrect because even though Beecher implies that women have fewer rights in society than men do, she doesn’t say that women have fewer responsibilities. Choice D is incorrect because Beecher does not assert that women are superior to men.

Choice A is the best answer. The previous question asks what point Beecher makes regarding the relationship between men and women in her society, with the answer being that women are considered inferior but can still have influence. This is supported in lines 6-10: “But while woman holds a subordinate relation in society to the other sex, it is not because it was designed that her duties or her influence should be any the less important, or all-pervading.”

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect because the lines cited do not support the answer to the previous question about the point Beecher makes regarding the relationship between men and women in her society. Instead, they describe ways men can affect society (choices B and C) and explain how certain actions undertaken by a woman can be viewed negatively (choice D).

Choice B is the best answer. In the third paragraph (lines 22-37), Beecher suggests that women can be “so much respected, esteemed and loved” by those around them that men will accede to their wishes: “then, the fathers, the husbands, and the sons, will find an influence thrown around them, to which they will yield not only willingly but proudly . . . .” These lines show that Beecher believes women can influence society by influencing the men around them; in other words, women have an indirect influence on public life.

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect because lines 34-37 make it clear that Beecher believes women do have an effect on society, even if it is an indirect effect. Beecher does not indicate that women’s effect on public life is ignored because most men are not interested (choice A), unnecessary because men do not need help governing society (choice C), or merely symbolic because women tend to be idealistic (choice D).

Choice D is the best answer. Regarding the dynamic of men and women in society, Beecher says that one sex is given “the subordinate station” while the other is given the “superior” station (lines 1-2). In the context of how one gender exists in comparison to the other, the word “station” suggests a standing or rank.

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect because in the context of the relative standing of men and women in Beecher’s society, the word “station” suggests a standing or rank, not a physical location or area (choices A, B, and C).

Choice C is the best answer. When describing how men and women can influence society, Beecher says the ways they can do so “should be altogether different and peculiar” (lines 11-12). In the context of the “altogether different” ways men and women can influence society, the word “peculiar” implies being unique or distinctive.

Choices A, B, and D are incorrect because in the context of the “altogether different” ways men and women can influence society, the word “peculiar” suggests something unique or distinctive, not something unusual and odd (choice A), unexpected (choice B), or rare (choice D).

Choice A is the best answer. In Passage 2, Grimké makes the main point that people have rights because they are human, not because of their gender or race. This is clear in lines 58-60, when Grimké states that “human beings have rights, because they are moral beings: the rights of all men grow out of their moral nature” and lines 65-68, when Grimké writes, “Now if rights are founded in the nature of our moral being, then the mere circumstance of sex does not give to man higher rights and responsibilities, than to woman.”

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect because Grimké primarily emphasizes that all men and women inherently have the same rights (“rights are founded in the nature of our moral being,” lines 65-66). Her central claim is not that men and women need to work together to change society (choice B), that moral rights are the distinguishing characteristic separating humans from animals (choice C), or that there should be equal opportunities for men and women to advance and succeed.

Choice B is the best answer. In Passage 2, Grimké makes the point that human rights are not fleeting or changeable but things that remain, regardless of the circumstances, because they are tied to humans’ moral nature. She emphasizes that human rights exist even if societal laws attempt to contradict or override them, citing slavery as an example: “These rights may be wrested from the slave, but they cannot be alienated: his title to himself is as perfect now, as is that of Lyman Beecher: it is stamped on his moral being, and is, like it, imperishable” (lines 61-65).

Choices A and D are incorrect because in Passage 2, Grimké makes the point that human rights are inherent and unchanging, not that they are viewed differently in different societies (choice A) or that they have changed and developed over time (choice D). Choice C is incorrect because Grimké doesn’t describe a clash between human rights and moral responsibilities; instead, she says that humans have rights “because they are moral beings” (lines 58-59).

Choice B is the best answer. The previous question asks what point Grimké makes about human rights in Passage 2, with the answer being that they exist and have moral authority whether or not they are established by societal law. This is supported in lines 61-65: “These rights may be wrested from the slave, but they cannot be alienated: his title to himself is as perfect now, as is that of Lyman Beecher: it is stamped on his moral being, and is, like it, imperishable.”

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect because the lines cited do not support the answer to the previous question about the point Grimké makes about human rights in Passage 2. Instead, they explain the source of all people’s human rights (choice A), indicate what would happen if rights were determined by gender (choice C), and discuss why gender is irrelevant to rights (choice D).

Choice B is the best answer. In Passage 1, Beecher asserts that men and women naturally have different positions in society: “Heaven has appointed to one sex the superior, and to the other the subordinate station” (lines 1-2). She goes on to argue that a woman should act within her subordinate role to influence men but should not “exert coercive influences” that would put her “out of her appropriate sphere” (lines 44-46). In Passage 2, Grimké takes issue with the idea that men and women have different rights and roles. She asserts that as moral beings all people have the same inherent rights and states that “the mere circumstance of sex does not give to man higher rights and responsibilities, than to woman” (lines 66-68).

Choice A is incorrect because Passage 2 does not discuss the practical difficulties of something that is proposed in Passage 1 but rather argues against the main point of Passage 1. Choice C is incorrect because Passage 2 does not provide historical context for the view expressed in Passage 1; the passages were published at around the same time and both discuss contemporary society. Choice D is incorrect because Passage 2 does not elaborate on implications found in Passage 1 as much as it disputes the ideas explicitly expressed in Passage 1.

Choice A is the best answer. While Beecher and Grimké clearly disagree regarding a woman’s role in society, the passages suggest that both authors share the belief that women do have moral duties and responsibilities in society. In Passage 1, Beecher writes that “while woman holds a subordinate relation in society to the other sex, it is not because it was designed that her duties or her influence should be any the less important, or all-pervading” (lines 6-10). She suggests that women do have an obligation to use their influence to bring about beneficial changes in society. In Passage 2, Grimké asserts that all people “are moral beings” (lines 58-59) and that both men and women have “rights and responsibilities” (line 68). She concludes that “whatever it is morally right for man to do, it is morally right for woman to do” (lines 81-83).

Choice B is incorrect because neither author suggests that when men work to bring about political changes, they often do so out of consideration for others rather than considerations for themselves. Choice C is incorrect because neither passage discusses the value given to women’s ethical obligations, although both authors suggest that women do have ethical and moral obligations. Choice D is incorrect because in Passage 1 Beecher argues that women should avoid direct political activism, cautioning against actions that would put them outside their “appropriate sphere” (line 46).

Choice D is the best answer. In lines 65-68 of Passage 2, Grimké writes, “Now if rights are founded in the nature of our moral being, then the mere circumstance of sex does not give to man higher rights and responsibilities, than to woman.” In other words, gender does not make men’s rights and duties superior to women’s. Beecher, on the other hand, begins Passage 1 by stating that “heaven has appointed to one sex the superior, and to the other the subordinate station,” suggesting that men and women have fundamentally different natures. Therefore, Beecher most likely would have disagreed with Grimké’s assertion.

Choices A and B are incorrect because Beecher fundamentally disagrees with Grimké regarding the basic nature and societal roles of men and women, making it very unlikely that she would have viewed Grimké’s statement in lines 65-68 with either sympathy or agreement. Choice C is incorrect because Beecher wouldn’t necessarily have been dismayed by Grimké’s belief as much as she would have simply disagreed with it, and she does not indicate that the role of women in society is more difficult to play than is that of men.