Exploring the Text

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  1. What purposes do the quotations from George Eliot’s novel Middlemarch serve in this essay? Why does Stephen Jay Gould refer to Eliot when he introduces the quotation from Broca in paragraph 5? Why are quotations from Eliot, whose real name was Mary Anne Evans, especially appropriate for Gould’s essay?

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - What purposes do the quotations from George Eliot’s novel Middlemarch serve in this essay? Why does Stephen Jay Gould refer to Eliot when he introduces the quotation from Broca in paragraph 5? Why are quotations from Eliot, whose real name was Mary Anne Evans, especially appropriate for Gould’s essay?
  2. Gould builds two parallel arguments: one on scientific method, another on speculative conclusions. In which paragraphs does he question the scientific methods rather than the findings themselves? How does he weave the two arguments together to make his point?

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - Gould builds two parallel arguments: one on scientific method, another on speculative conclusions. In which paragraphs does he question the scientific methods rather than the findings themselves? How does he weave the two arguments together to make his point?
  3. How does each of the individuals Gould cites—Paul Broca, L. Manouvrier, Gustave Le Bon, and Maria Montessori—contribute to the development of his argument?

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - How does each of the individuals Gould cites—Paul Broca, L. Manouvrier, Gustave Le Bon, and Maria Montessori—contribute to the development of his argument?
  4. At the end of paragraph 7, Gould adds a footnote reassessing an earlier point. Does this admission add to or detract from his credibility? Explain your answer.

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - At the end of paragraph 7, Gould adds a footnote reassessing an earlier point. Does this admission add to or detract from his credibility? Explain your answer.
  5. In paragraph 13, Gould shows how Broca and his colleagues extended their conclusions to other groups. What is Gould’s purpose in developing this point as elaborately as he does?

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - In paragraph 13, Gould shows how Broca and his colleagues extended their conclusions to other groups. What is Gould’s purpose in developing this point as elaborately as he does?
  6. In paragraph 4, why is questioning Maria Montessori’s research and conclusions an effective strategy? What criticism might Gould be guarding against in doing so?

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - In paragraph 4, why is questioning Maria Montessori’s research and conclusions an effective strategy? What criticism might Gould be guarding against in doing so?
  7. This essay has a strong appeal to logos, as would be expected of a scientific argument. How does Gould also appeal to pathos? How does that appeal add to the persuasiveness of his argument?

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - This essay has a strong appeal to logos, as would be expected of a scientific argument. How does Gould also appeal to pathos? How does that appeal add to the persuasiveness of his argument?
  8. How do Gould’s occasional shifts from the third person to the first person strengthen or weaken his essay?

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - How do Gould’s occasional shifts from the third person to the first person strengthen or weaken his essay?
  9. How would you characterize the audience for whom Gould is writing? Do you think fellow scientists are part of that audience? Explain why or why not.

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - How would you characterize the audience for whom Gould is writing? Do you think fellow scientists are part of that audience? Explain why or why not.
  10. What does Gould mean when he says, “Women were singularly denigrated but they also stood as surrogates for other disenfranchised groups” (par. 13)?

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - What does Gould mean when he says, “Women were singularly denigrated but they also stood as surrogates for other disenfranchised groups” (par. 13)?
  11. Why does Gould say, “I do not regard as empty rhetoric the claim that women’s battles are for all of us” (par. 13)? Does such a personal comment undermine his scientific credibility? Explain.

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - Why does Gould say, “I do not regard as empty rhetoric the claim that women’s battles are for all of us” (par. 13)? Does such a personal comment undermine his scientific credibility? Explain.