Read the passage given below and then answer the questions given below the…
2026
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 4 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
In reading comprehension, the meaning of a quoted phrase is drawn from its immediate context — the clauses right before and after it — not from the phrase's bare literal sense.
Here the phrase sits inside: “...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.” The passage is warning that adopting masculine norms too completely risks losing one's own identity, so the phrase is asking the artist to avoid exactly that loss even while operating inside a male-dominated industry.
“Not indulge in any malpractices” does not fit — the passage never discusses ethical conduct or professional wrongdoing; its concern throughout is gender identity.
“Not try to push the boundaries in the male-dominated music industry” does not fit — the passage actually credits boundary-pushing through image and sexuality as how women expand their space in music; it never asks women to avoid that.
“Be truthful to everyone” does not fit — the passage's concern is a woman's fidelity to her own identity, not honesty toward other people.
So the phrase means the artist must not lose one's identity as a woman while navigating a male-dominated industry.