Read the excerpt from Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique.I heard echoes of the problem in college dormitories and semiprivate maternity wards, at PTA meetings and luncheons of the League of Women Voters, at suburban cocktail parties, in station wagons waiting for trains, and in snatches of conversation overheard at Schrafft’s. The groping words I heard from other women, on quiet afternoons when children were at school or on quiet evenings when husbands worked late, I think I understood first as a woman long before I understood their larger social and psychological implications.Based on the underlined words and phrases, what is Friedan most likely trying to express?
Answer
A
It was unacceptable for women to show displeasure, and many feared being punished by law.
B
The ideas of a minority of women were not understood by the majority of women.
C
Women did not yet understand that they were dissatisfied, so they had difficulty explaining themselves.
D
Feelings of discontentment among women were growing but still could not be expressed openly.
Explanation
Friedan describes hearing “echoes” and “groping words” in private or passing conversations, suggesting women were beginning to voice dissatisfaction but could not yet express it clearly or openly. She also says she recognized these feelings as a woman before understanding their broader meaning. This points to discontentment that was growing but remained difficult to articulate publicly, rather than fear of legal punishment or a divide between a minority and the majority.
AI-written and checked against the verified answer.