Question

but for women, i thought, looking at the empty shelves, these difficulties were infinitely more formidable. in the first place, to have a room of her own, let alone a quiet room or a sound - proof room, was out of the question, unless her parents were exceptionally rich or very noble, even up to the beginning of the nineteenth century.
—a room of one’s own,
virginia woolf
based on the underlined words, what is the author’s perspective in this passage?
○ the situation for women improved starting in the 19th century.
○ it is necessary to have a quiet or soundproof room in order to write literature.
○ based on the reference to empty bookshelves, most women did not like reading.
○ most women could not write literature because they could not afford books or a space to write.

Explanation:

• Analyze each option:
• Option 1: The passage focuses on women's difficulties before the 19th - century start, not improvement, so incorrect.
• Option 2: The passage is about women's inability to get a room, not the necessity of a quiet room for writing in general, so incorrect.
• Option 3: Empty shelves don't imply women disliked reading; they imply lack of access to books, so incorrect.
• Option 4: The underlined parts show women needed a room (which was hard to get unless parents were rich) and empty shelves (lack of books). So most women couldn't write literature due to inability to afford books or a writing space.

Answer:

Most women could not write literature because they could not afford books or a space to write.