Author's Purpose
What is the author’s purpose for writing this article?
To highlight the challenges young women face in college admissions.
What tone does the author convey in her writing?
Concern and frustration regarding college admissions.
How does the author feel about the competition among female applicants?
It is intense and often unfair.
More than 55 percent of applicants are female.
What is the most effective transition to add to the beginning of sentence 2?
Options:
Likewise,
What conclusion can be made about equality?
Gender balance sometimes outweighs merit in admissions decisions.
What does the author feel about current admissions practices
They are unfairly biased against female applicants.
What challenges do young women face today?
Higher standards to gain admission into top colleges.
How have applicant ratios changed over time?
It went from two to one to three to one.
The author has not used the most effective word in paragraph 3. Which word should replace "have" to create a more effective sentence?
Options:
enroll
Why does the author use a rhetorical question in paragraph 9?
To emphasize the irony of the situation for young women.
How does the author's experience shape her perspective?
She reflects on simpler admissions from 30 years ago compared to today.
How does the author reflect on her daughter's experience?
She empathizes with her disappointment over waitlist letters.
What does the author say about the percentage of women in higher education?
More than 56 percent of undergraduates nationwide are women
Which of these sentences should the author add at the beginning of paragraph 6 to serve as the most effective position statement for her essay?
B. College admissions for young women today are increasingly challenging and competitive.
This statement succinctly captures the main argument of the passage regarding the difficulties faced by female applicants.
Which sentence best expresses inequity for young women?
A. My staff and I carefully read these young women's essays about their passion for poetry, their desire to discover vaccines and their conviction that they can make the world a better place. (Paragraph 4)
B. I was once one of those girls applying to college, but that was 30 years ago, when applying to college was only a tad more difficult than signing up for a membership at the Y. (Paragraph 5)
C. Had she been a male applicant, there would have been little, if any, hesitation to admit. (Paragraph 8)
D. In the meantime, I'm sending out waitlist and rejection letters for nearly 3,000 students. (Paragraph 13)
C. Had she been a male applicant, there would have been little, if any, hesitation to admit.
What emotion does the author show about waitlist letters?
Empathy and disappointment for the students receiving them.
How does the author compare male and female applicants?
Male applicants are often admitted with lower qualifications.
What prediction does the author make about future degrees awarded?
Only 42 percent of baccalaureate degrees will be awarded to men.
The meaning of a sentence in paragraph 12 is unclear. Which word or phrase should replace "more accomplished" in this sentence?
a reduced workload
What are the implications of gender balance in admissions?
It affects the qualifications needed for female applicants.
How does the author demonstrate gender balance issues?
By showing how male applicants are favored due to their scarcity.
What historical context does the author provide?
The shift from a male-dominated college system to a more balanced one.
What is the significance of the “tipping point” in admissions?
It indicates a shift in gender balance and its effects on campus attractiveness
What is the correct way to write a sentence from paragraph 13?
Sentence: "I will linger over letters, remembering individual students I've met, essays I loved, accomplishments I've admired."
Options:
C. As I linger over letters, I recall the individual students I've met and their remarkable achievements.