The Majority of White Abolitionists and the Majority of Suffragists GMAT Reading Comprehension

Reading Passage Question

The majority of white abolitionists and the majority of suffragists worked hard to convince their compatriots that the changes they advocated were not revolutionary, that far from undermining the accepted distribution of power they would eliminate deviations from the democratic principle it was supposedly based on. Non-Garrisonian abolitionists repeatedly disavowed miscegenational or revolutionary intentions. And as for the suffragists, despite the presence in the movement of socialists, and in the final years of a few blacks, immigrants, and workers, the racism and nativism in the movement's thinking and actions were not an aberration and did not conflict with the movement's objective of suffrage. Far from saying, as presentist historians do, that the white abolitionists and suffragists compromised the abiding principles of equality and the equal right of all to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, I suggest the opposite: the non-Garrisonian majority of white abolitionists and the majority of suffragists showed what those principles meant in their respective generations because they traced the farthest acceptable boundaries around them.

‘The majority of white abolitionists and the majority of suffragists’ is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.

This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 7 comprehension questions. The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed for the purpose of 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

1. The author's main point is that

A)the actions of the abolitionist and suffragist movements compromised their stated principles
B) the underlying beliefs of abolitionists and suffragists were closer than is usually believed
C) abortionists' and suffragists' thinking about equality was limited by the assumptions of their time
D)presentist historians have willfully misrepresented the ideology of abolitionists and suffragists
E)historians should impose their own value systems when evaluating events of the past

2. Which of the following is suggested about the abolitionist movement?

A) Its members disguised their objectives from the public.
B) It contained different groupings characterized by varied philosophies.
C) It undermined its principles by accommodating public concerns.
D) A majority of its members misunderstood its objectives.
E) Its progress was hindered by the actions of radical factions within it.

3. The author would most likely agree with which of the following?

A) Non-Garrisonian abolitionists were subversive rebels who wanted to start a revolution.
B) Abolitionists and suffragists undermined their principles by acting in racist ways.
C) Suffragists should have removed all socialists from their ranks.
D) Most groups that encourage social change are accused of having revolutionary tendencies.
E) The meaning of the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness have changed through time.

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