SAT OwlQuestion bank / Command of Evidence
In her 1915 essay "The Unfinished Map," suffragist Cora Whitfield argues that progress toward equal rights depends on the efforts of ordinary people rather than on the achievements of a few famous leaders. Whitfield makes this point when she writes, ______
Which quotation from "The Unfinished Map" most effectively illustrates Whitfield's argument?
"The great orators of our cause have spoken in every hall in the nation, and their words will be remembered long after ours."
"Our movement has faced setbacks in many states, but each defeat has taught us something."
"Those who oppose us claim to speak for tradition, yet tradition has changed many times before."
"No law was ever changed by a single voice; it was changed by ten thousand voices that history did not trouble to record."
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D
Whitfield credits ordinary people over famous leaders. Choice D says change comes not from "a single voice" but from "ten thousand voices" that history ignores, which states the argument directly.
Choice A praises famous orators, which emphasizes the leaders Whitfield's argument plays down.
Got it wrong? On SAT Owl, Owl looks at the answer you chose and explains the exact mistake, then gives you similar questions until it sticks. Get your predicted SAT score free.