Read the passage from the speech “The Solitude of Self.” Then answer the questions.

from “The Solitude of Self”

by Elizabeth Cady Stanton

1The strongest reason for giving woman all the opportunities for higher education, for the full development of her faculties, forces of mind and body; for giving her the most enlarged freedom of thought and action; a complete emancipation from all forms of bondage, of custom, dependence, superstition; from all the crippling influences of fear, is the solitude and personal responsibility of her own individual life. The strongest reason why we ask for woman a voice in the government under which she lives; in the religion she is asked to believe; equality in social life, where she is the chief factor; a place in the trades and professions, where she may earn her bread, is because of her birthright to self-sovereignty; because, as an individual, she must rely on herself. No matter how much women prefer to lean, to be protected and supported, nor how much men desire to have them do so, they must make the voyage of life alone, and for safety in an emergency they must know something of the laws of navigation. To guide our own craft, we must be captain, pilot, engineer; with chart and compass to stand at the wheel; to watch the wind and waves and know when to take in the sail, and to read the signs in the firmament over all. It matters not whether the solitary voyager is man or woman.

What is the author’s purpose in acknowledging that women may prefer to lean and men may desire to have them do so?
(5 Points)

to counter a claim that society has offered women more control and they have refused it

to illustrate that most men are encouraging women to become more independent

to prove that women and men have specific roles in society that cannot be changed

to argue that despite some people’s conflicted feelings, society will benefit from women having more control of their own lives