Question

read the excerpt from \the yellow wallpaper.\

if a physician of high standing, and ones own husband, assures you that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression-a slight hysterical tendency-what is one to do?
my brother is also a physician, and also of high standing, and he says the same thing.
so i take phosphates or phosphites-whichever it is, and tonics, and journeys, and air, and exercise, and am absolutely forbidden to \work\ until i am well again.

what does the narrators description reveal about the social context of the late nineteenth century?

• women were able to make their own decisions about work.
• doctors were believed to be unquestioningly all-knowing.
• husbands were reluctant to take doctors advice.
• wives were considered to be less fragile than husbands.

Explanation:

Analyze the excerpt

The narrator explains that her husband and her brother are both physicians of high standing. Because they assure her that she has nothing but "temporary nervous depression," she is forced to follow their treatment, which includes taking specific tonics and being "absolutely forbidden to 'work'" until she is well.

Evaluate the social context

The narrator's inability to oppose the medical opinions of her husband and brother shows how much authority was granted to male medical professionals during this historical period. She must accept their diagnosis and treatment without question.

Assess the options

• Option 1: "Women were able to make their own decisions..." is incorrect because the narrator is forbidden to work and must follow her husband's orders.
• Option 2: "Doctors were believed to be unquestionably all-knowing" is correct because the narrator must defer completely to their high standing and authority.
• Option 3: "Husbands were reluctant to take doctors' advice" is incorrect because the husband is the doctor giving the advice.
• Option 4: "Wives were considered to be less fragile than husbands" is incorrect because the narrator is treated as fragile and forbidden to work.

Answer:

• Women were able to make their own decisions about work.
• Doctors were believed to be unquestionably all-knowing. (Correct answer)
• Husbands were reluctant to take doctors' advice.
• Wives were considered to be less fragile than husbands.