Question

Read the passage from “On Women’s Right to Vote.”

The only question left to be settled now is: Are women persons? And I hardly believe any of our opponents will have the hardihood to say they are not. Being persons, then, women are citizens; and no state has a right to make any law, or to enforce any old law, that shall abridge their privileges or immunities. Hence, every discrimination against women in the constitutions and laws of the several states is today null and void. …

Which answer best describes the organizational structure of this passage?

On Women’s Right to Vote

pro and con

comparison and contrast

classification schemes

cause and effect

Answer 1

The passage from “On Women’s Right to Vote” employs a cause and effect structure, positing women's citizenship as the cause and the nullification of discriminatory laws as the effect, arguing for women's suffrage under the existing Constitution.

Step-by-step explanation:

The organizational structure of the passage from “On Women’s Right to Vote” is best described as presenting a cause and effect argument. The passage outlines the cause, or the premise that women are citizens because the Constitution refers to 'persons' and does not explicitly exclude women from the rights of citizenship, including voting. The effect argued is that any laws discriminating against women are therefore null and void. This logical progression from cause to effect is used to assert the rightful claim of women to suffrage under the existing constitutional framework, without the need for new legislation specifically enfranchising women.