In her 1929 essay "A Room of One's Own," Virginia Woolf argues that women writers throughout history have been hampered not by any lack of talent but by material constraints — chiefly, the absence of private space and independent income. Woolf supports her thesis by imagining the fate of a hypothetical "Shakespeare's sister," equally gifted but denied the resources her brother enjoyed.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
- A
Shakespeare's actual sister was a talented but unrecognized writer.
- Bcheck_circle
Woolf contends that material conditions, not innate ability, limited women's literary output.
- C
Woolf's essay focuses on the daily routines of professional writers.
- D
Virginia Woolf was one of the most important essayists of the twentieth century.
Explanation
The passage's main claim is Woolf's argument that resources, not talent, were the constraint — choice C. A is not supported; B misreads the hypothetical; D is unsupported.