Read the passage given below and then answer the questions given below the…
2025
Read the passage given below and then answer the questions given below the passage. Some words may be highlighted for your attention. Pay careful attention.
Although the twentieth century saw the rise of women as professional musicians, the majority of composers and performers were, and still are, men. The music industry in the U.S. and Britain overwhelmingly reflects the values of a patriarchal society; the success or failure of a female artist is based largely on her physical appearance and gendered performance style. Blues, rock, and pop began as genres dominated by men, and thus included styles of dress, lyrics, and sound born of a male perspective. The history of these genres, then, is also a history of women seeking to locate their space within a predominately masculine musical environment.
Women are always judged, in part, on their image, and it is through the manipulation of this image that some women artists have been able to push the boundaries of gender identity. Women have been able to enter popular genres of music either by playing with the aesthetics of masculinity, or by playing into a male expectation of femininity. Sexuality, therefore, is a tool women continue to use to shape and reshape their place within popular music.
Pushing boundaries is a balancing act, however, and a contradictory process. In order to gain access to the world of popular music, a female artist must at once be pleasing her audience, and, at the same time, remain true to herself as a woman. A desire to be too much “one of the guys” can lead to identity problems and ultimately to self-destruction. An artist's use of irony or parody may run the risk of being mistaken for genuineness, causing her to be objectified. Working within the limits of popular music has proven difficult and dangerous for women. But due to the professionalism and inventiveness of many female performers, the space for women in popular music is being expanded and redefined.
What is meant by “remain true to herself as a woman?
- A.
Not indulge in any malpractices
- B.
Not try to push the boundaries in the male-dominated music industry
- C.
Be truthful to everyone
- D.
Not lose one’s identity as a woman
Attempted by 1 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Concept: In an inference-based reading comprehension question, the meaning of a highlighted phrase is determined by the exact sentence and contrast it sits within, not by the words' isolated, dictionary sense.
Application: The passage states a female artist must at once be pleasing her audience, and, at the same time, remain true to herself as a woman, pairing two competing demands: satisfying external, audience-driven expectations versus not sacrificing something internal while doing so. Read against the passage's larger theme (the risk of self-destruction from becoming “one of the guys,” and the reward given to women who “expand and redefine” their space), that internal thing is her own identity as a woman — so the phrase means not losing one's identity as a woman.
Cross-check (why each other option fails):
“Not indulge in any malpractices” — the passage never raises malpractice or ethical misconduct; this addresses a concern the text does not discuss.
“Not try to push the boundaries in the male-dominated music industry” — the passage treats boundary-pushing approvingly (professional, inventive women are said to expand and redefine their space), so avoiding it contradicts the passage's own stance.
“Be truthful to everyone” — this is a generic, universal honesty unrelated to the specific two-sided tension (pleasing the audience vs. retaining one's own identity) the sentence describes.
Only “not lose one's identity as a woman” matches the contrast the sentence draws, confirming that value as the correct interpretation of the phrase.