Serena Williams' catsuit controversy evokes the battle over women wearing shorts

PART A: Which statement identifies the central idea of the text?

• Sports is the one area where women should not be judged for what they wear, as their clothing is a means to optimize their athletic performance.

• Men have used harsh dress codes as a way to discourage women from participating in athletic activities that they deem inappropriate for women.

• Women need to continue to challenge dress codes in sports by wearing what they’re comfortable in, rather than what is expected of them by the public.

• Women’s fashion, especially women’s fashion in sports, has always been examined and criticized more severely than men’s fashion.

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PART B: Which detail from the text best supports the answer to Part A?

• “Coincidentally, Stade Roland Garros, the stadium where Serena wore her suit during the French Open, has a court named after Lenglen.” (Paragraph 3)

• “Women who did wear athletic garb were supposed to keep out of the public eye because it was deemed unfeminine and, yes, immodest.” (Paragraph 8)

• “In time, shorts as hiking wear, shorts as gardening garb and shorts as loungewear became increasingly common. It seems the old guard had been worn down — or simply died off.” (Paragraph 14)

• “You almost feel sorry for the French official who announced the ban on the catsuit. In the big picture, he won’t do anything to stop the crawl of social change.” (Paragraph 19)

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How have people’s views on women’s fashion in America changed over time?

• People are just as critical of women’s fashion today, as they were decades ago.

• People have only ever been accepting of women’s fashion that highlights their femininity.

• People have become more tolerant of a wider range of women’s styles, but continue to criticize them.

• People have become increasingly critical of women’s fashion as more options have become available.

How does the author’s inclusion of sports and etiquette writers’ comments contribute to the text (Paragraph 12 and Paragraph 7)?

• They highlight how absurd people’s criticism of women’s appearances and dress were.

• They emphasize how male and female athletes are criticized for what they wear in sports.

• They show how people's views about women’s fashion in sports has largely remained the same.

• They help readers understand the logic behind certain dress codes in sports.

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