30 > McGraw-Hill’s 500 SAT Critical Reading Questions ‘The books of Jane Austen often emphasize the fact that women lacked eco- nomic stability and social protections in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in Europe. Their fates were inextricably linked to the men in their lives. Women, could not inherit property. Ifa woman was not fortunate enouigh to be born into prosperous family, she had few options. Women who were not from middle-class 5 or upper-class families were unlikely to receive much education, Most women were not trained in specific professions. The most common jobs included working in a factory, of as a teacher, a maid, or a governess. The only recourse was to find a husband. In addition to her keen observations on society at large, Jane Austen likely drew + on her own experiences with education and marriage in European society as she crafted her famous novels. While Austen grew up in an openly scholarly home, where her writing was encouraged, she was aware that this was not the norm. Her family was not affluent, as her father could not support his family solely on his salary as a pastor and often supplemented his income by farming and teaching. 15 She, her mother, and her sister frequently depended on the kindness of family members upon his death. Regarding marriage, the only proposal Austen ever received, and did not accept, was from a friend who was well-to-do, but whom she did not love. ‘Thus, many Austen characters, such as Fanny Price in Mansfield Park and 20 Charlotte Lucas in Pride and Prejudice, are women who are educated but have litle money, and therefore must consider marriage to men they do not care for in order to have financial security. In addition, Austen’ first published novel, Sense and Sensibility, begins with the death of Mr. Dashwood. His estate passes to his only son from a first mattiage, so Mr. Dashwood's second wife and his daughters have 2s no legal claim to stay in their own home. 79. Which of the following statements best describes the main point of the passage? (A) Austen's only sister, who was also unmarried, was her closest friend. (B) Austen's heroines are some of the most beloved in English literature. (©) The role of women in society is a frequent subject in Austen's novels (D) Austen was bitter and depressed, because she could not marry due to her lack of income. (B) According to Austen, the events in the novel Sense and Sensibility were autobiographical. 80. The author provides examples of various Austen heroines in order to (A) illustrate Austen as a master of literary realism (B) compare them to the heroines of female novelist George Eliot (© critique the sentimental novels of the late eighteenth century (D) support the theory of recurring themes in Austen's novels, (E) foreshadow the failure of Austen's publishing career