RC 5

Current feminist theory, in validating women's own stories of their

experience, has encouraged scholars of women's history to view the use of

women's oral narratives as the methodology, next to the use of women's

written autobiography, that brings historians closest to the "reality" of

women's lives. Such narratives, unlike most standard histories, represent

experience from the perspective of women, affirm the importance of women's

contributions, and furnish present-day women with historical continuity that

is essential to their identity, individually and collectively.

Scholars of women's history should, however, be as cautious about accepting

oral narratives at face value as they already are about written memories. Oral

narratives are no more likely than are written narratives to provide a

disinterested commentary on events or people. Moreover, the stories people

tell to explain themselves are shaped by narrative devices and storytelling

conventions, as well as by other cultural and historical factors, in ways that

the storytellers may be unaware of. The political rhetoric of a particular era,

for example, may influence women's interpretations of the significance of

their experience. Thus a woman who views the Second World War as pivotal

in increasing the social acceptance of women's paid work outside the home

may reach that conclusion partly and unwittingly because of wartime rhetoric

encouraging a positive view of women's participation in such work.

31. The passage is primarily concerned with

(A) contrasting the benefits of one methodology with the benefits of another

(B) describing the historical origins and inherent drawbacks of a particular

methodology

(C) discussing the appeal of a particular methodology and some concerns

about its use

(D) showing that some historians' adoption of a particular methodology has

led to criticism of recent historical scholarship

(E) analyzing the influence of current feminist views on women's

interpretations of their experience

32. According to the passage, which of the following shapes the oral narratives of

women storytellers?

(A) The conventions for standard histories in the culture in which a woman

storyteller lives

(B) The conventions of storytelling in the culture in which a woman

storyteller lives

(C) A woman storyteller's experience with distinctive traditions of

storytelling developed by the women in her family of origin

(D) The cultural expectations and experiences of those who listen to oral

narratives

(E) A woman storyteller's familiarity with the stories that members of other

groups in her culture tell to explain themselves

33. The author of the passage would be most likely to make which of the following

recommendations to scholars of women's history?

(A) They should take into account their own life experiences when

interpreting the oral accounts of women's historical experiences.

(B) They should assume that the observations made in women's oral

narratives are believed by the intended audience of the story.

(C) They should treat skeptically observations reported in oral narratives

unless the observations can be confirmed in standard histories.

(D) They should consider the cultural and historical context in which an oral

narrative was created before arriving at an interpretation of such a narrative.

(E) They should rely on information gathered from oral narratives only

when equivalent information is not available in standard histories.

34. Which of the following best describes the function of the last sentence of the

passage?

(A) It describes an event that historians view as crucial in recent women's

history.

(B) It provides an example of how political rhetoric may influence the

interpretations of experience reported in women's oral narratives.

(C) It provides an example of an oral narrative that inaccurately describes

women's experience during a particular historical period.

(D) It illustrates the point that some women are more aware than others of

the social forces that shape their oral narratives.

(E) It identifies the historical conditions that led to the social acceptance of

women's paid work outside the home.

35. According to the passage, scholars of women's history should refrain from doing

which of the following?

(A) Relying on traditional historical sources when women's oral narratives

are unavailable

(B) Focusing on the influence of political rhetoric on women's perceptions

to the exclusion of other equally important factors

(C) Attempting to discover the cultural and historical factors that influence

the stories women tell

(D) Assuming that the conventions of women's written autobiographies are

similar to the conventions of women's oral narratives

(E) Accepting women's oral narratives less critically than they accept

women's written histories

36. According to the passage, each of the following is a difference between women's

oral narratives and most standard histories EXCEPT:

(A) Women's oral histories validate the significance of women's

achievements.

(B) Women's oral histories depict experience from the point of view of

women.

(C) Women's oral histories acknowledge the influence of well-known

women.

(D) Women's oral histories present today's women with a sense of their

historical relationship to women of the past.

(E) Women's oral histories are crucial to the collective identity of today's

women.