The new school of political history that emerged in the 1960’s and 1970’s sought to go beyond the traditional focus of political historians on leaders and government institutions by examining directly the political practices of ordinary citizens. Like the old approach, however, this new approach excluded women. The very techniques these historians used to uncover mass political behavior in the nineteenth-century United State – quantitative analyses of election returns, for example – were useless in analyzing the political activities of women, who were denied the vote until 1920.

By redefining “political activity,” historian Paula Baker has developed a political history that includes women. She concludes that among ordinary citizens, political activism by women in the nineteenth century prefigured trends in twentieth-century politics. Defining “politics” as “any action taken to affect the course of behavior of government or of the community,” Baker concludes that, while voting and holding office were restricted to men, women in the nineteenth century organized themselves into societies committed to social issues such as temperance and poverty. In other words, Baker contends, women activists were early practitioners of nonpartisan, issue-oriented politics and thus were more interested in enlisting lawmakers, regardless of their party affiliation, on behalf of certain issues than in ensuring that one party or another won an election. In the twentieth century, more men drew closer to women’s ideas about politics and took up modes of issue-oriented politics that Baker sees women as having pioneered.

134. According to the passage, Paula Baker and the new political historians of the 1960’s and 1970’s shared which of the following?

(A) A commitment to interest-group politics

(B) A idsregard for politica ltheory and ideology

(C) An interest in the ways in which nineteenth-century politics prefigured contemporary politics

(D) A reliance on such quatitiative techniques as the analysis of election returns

(E) An emplasis on the political involvement of ordinary citizens

OG的解释：Choice A is incorrect because the passage implies that the new historians failed to

examine interest groups. 这句在原文中的对应应该是第一句中的by examining directly the political practices of ordinary citizens 吧？但是我觉得这句并没有implies that the new historians failed to examine interest groups，而且我觉得也没有failed 的意思，还有，interest groups指的是什么？

另外，OG解释中还说：Because the second paragraph emphasizes that Baker did not rely primarily on quantitative techniques such as the analysis of election returns, D is incorrect. 这句解释是不是指第二段中的In other words, Baker contends, women activists were early practitioners of nonpartisan, issue-oriented politics and thus were more interested in enlisting lawmakers, regardless of their party affiliation, on behalf of certain issues than in ensuring that one party or another won an election.和第一段中的第三句The very techniques these historians used to uncover mass political behavior in the nineteenth-century United State – quantitative analyses of election returns, for example – were useless in analyzing the political activities of women, who were denied the vote until 1920.对应？（我是指两个黑体部分相对应）还有，election returns是什么意思？

1、The best answer is E. 这句没什么，除了best/correct是否有区别尚需进一步确认。

2、The first sentence of the passage states that the new historians of the 1960’s and 1970’s examined the political practices of ordinary citizens, and the second paragraph recounts how Baker extended this examination to include the political activities of ordinary women. 说明了段落层次，段落主要内容和段落间关系。

3、Choice A is incorrect because the passage implies that the new historians failed to examine interest groups

4、The passage does not provide information to support B. 无。

5、Choice C can be eliminated because only Baker is described as displaying an interest in a way in which nineteenth-century politics prefigured contemporary politics. 一方有，另一方无，即部分正确的选项不是答案。

6、Because the second paragraph emphasizes that Baker did not rely primarily on quantitative techniques such as the analysis of election returns, D is incorrect.

我也是第一次把这个解释看得这么仔细，语焉不详，或理解有误，请指正。

谢谢楼主。

回答得这么仔细，真是让我太感动了！！

看了楼主的解释，我对阅读又有了一个新的认识——段落含义，这是我以前没有意识到的。真得是太谢谢了，我也是在看了你的回答之后才开始重视OG的解释，才发现OG解释中有这么多需要琢磨的地方，谢谢你！！

请问第一段最后的这句话的最后一句什么意思。The very techniques these historians used to uncover mass political behavior in the nineteenth-century United State – quantitative analyses of election returns, for example – were useless in analyzing the political activities of women, who were denied the vote until 1920.

是说直到1920，女性才能vote么？那么1960是女性可以vote，那么techniques were useless in women，这时候的women是有选举权的women，那么132题选D 是为什么？谢谢。