Read the excerpt from Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique. So the door of all those pretty suburban houses opened a crack to permit a glimpse of uncounted thousands of American housewives who suffered alone from a problem that suddenly everyone was talking about, and beginning to take for granted, as one of those unreal problems in American life that can never be solved—like the hydrogen bomb. By 1962 the plight of the trapped American housewife had become a national parlor game.Which key terms from the excerpt most support the theme that women can feel suffocated by societal expectations?
Answer
A
suffered, plight, trapped
B
uncounted, alone, unreal
C
suburban, housewives, solved
D
thousands, American, national
Explanation
The words “suffered,” “plight,” and “trapped” describe the housewives’ distress and lack of freedom. Together, these terms support the idea that women can feel suffocated by societal expectations. The other choices include words that do not express this sense of suffering or restriction as clearly.
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