托福阅读中常见的三种题型是什么
https://www.360docs.net/doc/066625932.html,
托福阅读中常见的三种题型是什么
外朗教育整理了不同类型的托福阅读有不同的解题方法，希望对大家有所帮助。托福阅读中常见的三种题型是什么？
托福阅读文章可分为不同类型，新托福阅读考试的第一句按类型可分为：开门见山型、标靶型和导入型三类。托福阅读备考中，无论是哪种题型，每段第一句都非常重要。这三个类型有不同的答题方法，根据类型进行解题，更有针对性。
所谓开门见山型，即指文章直接推出论点，表达文章的中心思想或主题走向。开门见山型的特征往往为定义型句子。一般都较为简短有力，富有哲理性，不超过两行。文章如属于开门见山型，则主题的确立自不待言。
所谓标靶型，即作者在起笔处先推出某个错误的论点或看法，然后加以批驳，给出作者所持的相反或相对立的观点。标靶型语句的特征往往为：“人们常常以为……”、“一般说来……”、“据称……”。遇到标靶型语句时，只要第一句作相反理解，即可确知文章的主旨。
所谓导入型，即作者先隐下主题思想不说，从别的细碎的地方谈起，渐渐接入正题。导入型的语句一般较为琐碎具体，甚至具体到某年某月。有时也纯为挑起读者的好奇心而设。如″American firms have a prob?″什么问题呢?作者只字不提。导入型语句尽管隐藏了主题思想，但文章的脉络、所涉及的范围依然清晰可见。如上句的举例，讨论的关键肯定在problem，范围局限在美国公司。
当然，新托福阅读考试题的分类并不是绝对的，有时我们也可看到几种类型缠绕在一起的句子。
托福阅读的重点关键在于：读完第一句后，应能确定文章的中心思想，即或不能，也应尽可能地把握文章的讨论走向。完成了这一点，也就完成了初步阅读。剩下的就是在中心思想或文章的主题走向的指导下去做选择项了。
外朗教育精品课程 https://www.360docs.net/doc/066625932.html,/course/newlist/1-20.html
GREVerbal阅读题型介绍
GREVerbal阅读题型介绍 GRE Reading Comprehension 阅读理解部分的题型主要包括三种： (1)选择题(Multiple-choice，选择五个选项中唯一正确的答案) (2)不定项选择题(Multiple-choice，选择三个选项中所有正确的答案) (3)句子点选题(Select-in-Passage，在文章中选择符合题目要求的句子) 阅读部分考察的能力如下 ▲understanding the meaning of individual words and sentences ▲understanding the meaning of paragraphs and larger bodies of text ▲distinguishing between minor and major points ▲summarizing a passage ▲drawing conclusions from the information provided ▲reasoning from incomplete data to infer missing information ▲understanding the structure of a text in terms of how the parts relate to one another ▲identifying the authors assumptions and perspective ▲analyzing a text and reaching conclusions about it
新托福阅读的10种题型 详解+经验+方法论 (1)
[※]新托福阅读的10种题型: 详解+经验+方法论 iBT毕竟是一个考试 考试就有他的思路和方法，以及题型的设计 在这里，我们首先熟悉一下新托福阅读出题的基本思路，和10种基本题型，以及应对10种题型的技巧 要点： an academic environment---越来越偏向于学术的讨论，越来越像IELTS的Academic类考试 reading---a variety of different subjects passages---3 different categories based on author purpose: 1. Exposition 2. Argumentation 3. Historical 你需要了解general organization of the passage * classification * comparison/contrast * cause/effect * problem/solution 每篇阅读的平均字数是700，当然根据考试的实际情况，可多可少 iBT的阅读有10种题型，下面我们一种一种的来回顾： 经验：第1，第5种题型，占的分量最多，难度也不大，要保证一个也不错 第9种和第10种题目，难度最大，想取得高分，必须要多做综合练习 剩下的题型也很重要，想取得高分，一个都不能少 1. Factual Information Questions 这样的题目，一般来说mentioned only in part of the passage. 答题的信息就在段落的1，2句
话中 技巧：你不可能在第一遍阅读的时候，就找到正确答案，需要看题目以后，回头再找 排出那些本身就很矛盾的选项 千万不要因为你看这某个单词或者句子在段落中出现过，就选择那个选项，一定要回答问题 2. Negative Factual Information Questions 做这样的题目，你首先需要对定位：locate the relevant info. in the passage 注意，这种问题你要选择的正确答案，是那个不正确的，问题里面会明确的指出：which one is NOT true 技巧：选项里面的答案，可能叙述了一段的意思，也可能叙述了好几段 正确的那个答案，要么是直接和文章的意思矛盾，要么是文章里面没有提到的 3. Inference Questions 注意的字眼，是infer, imply, inferred 技巧: 正确的答案,必须是从文章已给内容推出的,特别注意 4. Rhetorical Purpose Questions Rhetorical is the art of speaking or writing effectively. 他不关心作者说了什么,关心的是作者为什么要这样说 技巧: 注意字眼definintion, example, to illustrate, to explain, to contrast, to refute, to note, to criticize, function of 这样的题目尤其会侧重句子还有段落之间的逻辑联系 5. Vocabulary Questions 大家不要太在意这个单词在字典里面什么意思，最重要的是，这个单词在文章里面的意思：in the reading passage, only one of the meanings of a work is relevant 技巧：问题是问你单词在文章里面的意思，再次强调 6. Reference Questions 这样的问题，主要是问你代词指代的内容是什么[根据我观察的经验，代词指代的东西，一般来说就在你这个代词的前面，或者隔了1个短语，不会太远：...AAAAA, BBB, CCC, XXX...一般来说， XXX不是指代C就是指代B，不会跑太远] 技巧：代词，pronoun, 在选择以后，检查答案的时候，一定要注意一致性：the same number: singular or plural; case: first person, second person, third person 当你选择了答案以后，你的选择会不会违反语法原则，并且会不会有意义
阅读具体题型简介TOEFL READING QUESTION TYPES
阅读具体题型简介TOEFL READING QUESTION TYPES Basic Information and Inference questions (12 to 14 questions per set ) 1. Factual Information questions (3 to 6 questions per set )细节题 2. Negative Factual Information questions (0 to 2 questions per set )排除题 3. Inference questions ( 0 to 2 questions per set )推断题 4. Rhetorical Purpose questions ( 0 to 2 questions per set )修辞目的题 5. Vocabulary questions ( 3 to 5 questions per set ) 词汇题 6. Reference questions ( 0 to 2 questions per set )指代题 7. Sentence Simplification questions ( 0 to 1 questions per set )简化句子题 8. Insert Text questions ( 0 to 1 questions per set )插入句子题 Reading to Learn questions (1 question per set ) 9. Prose Summary 文章内容小结题 10. Fill in a Table 完成图表题 其中，前八种为微观题，解题不需要联系文章主旨。后两种为宏观题，解题需要联系文章主旨，解题难度高于微观题。 新托福考试的十种题型有六种是沿用旧托福考试中已经出现的题型(细节题、排除题、推断题、修辞目的题、词汇题、指代题)，因此这六种题型我们最好使用旧托福的复习资料。因为新托福考试备考过程中的一个问题就是真题资料的匮乏，我们需要尽可能利用来自ETS 的真题资料。而四种新题型，句子简化题、插入句子题、文章内容小结题和图表题，代表了托福考试的新动向，是需要引起广大考生的重视的。下面我们就来对这十种题型一一进行介绍和评价。 1、Factual Information questions (3 to 6 questions per set )细节题
2019托福阅读考试真题(3)
2019托福阅读：模拟试题及答案解析（6） 【托福】 Although only 1 person in 20 in the Colonial period lived in a city, the cities had a disproportionate influence on the development of North America. They were at the cutting edge of social change. It was in the cities that the elements that can be associated with modern capitalism first appeared — the use of money and commercial paper in place of barter, open competition in place of social deference and hierarchy, with an attendant rise in social disorder, and the appearance of factories using coat or water power in place of independent craftspeople working with hand tools. "The cities predicted the future," wrote historian Gary. B. Nash, "even though they were but overgrown villages compared to the great urban centers of Europe, the Middle East and China." Except for Boston, whose population stabilized at about 16,000 in 1760, cities grew by exponential leaps through the eighteenth century. In the fifteen years prior to the outbreak of the War for independence in 1775, more than 200,000 immigrants arrived on North American shores. This meant that a population the size of Boston was arriving every year, and most of it flowed into the port cities in the Northeast. Philadelphia's population nearly doubted in those years, reaching about 30,000 in 1774, New York grew at almost the same rate, reaching about 25,000 by 1775. The quality of the hinterland dictated the pace of growth of the cities. The land surrounding Boston had always been poor farm country, and by the mid-eighteenth century it
托福阅读题型十大技巧锦囊(精美图文版)
托福阅读题型十大技巧锦囊 “得阅读者，得天下。”托福阅读向来是考生提分必争之地，也是中国考生的传统强项。基本考生考前会采取题海战术，将自己武装成十万个我都知道。 于是，你背完了英文化学周期表；你了解了九大行星排列；你知道了最前沿的科技发展和美国经济新政；你是颗移动的the big bang 云硬盘。你只祈祷考前记住所有的这些信息量，考后再统统delete 。 如果考到一个你事先复习过的知识点，你欣喜若狂。 如果考到一个你似曾相识却扫视而过，你追悔莫及。 如果考到一个全新的知识点，恭喜你，你顿时挂机。 事实上，托福阅读的单词量是浩瀚星尘，无论你猜或不猜它都在哪里，不离不弃。所以，TPO 小站为冒星星眼的考生们编织了以下十个托福阅读答题锦囊，当你埋首题海两眼泪茫茫时，不妨看过来。 Reading Skills Top 10 1 Factual Information 2 Vocabulary 3 Negative Factual Information 4 Inference 5 Organization 6 Paraphrasing 7 Purpose 8 Insertion 9 Main Idea 10 Categorizing
十大技巧锦囊? 之一 小单词，大线索 Factual information【事实信息题】 “真相，永远只有一个！”20分钟一篇托福阅读，平均到800字篇幅的文章中去，再排除那些判断全文的主旨题，这是火眼晶晶的节奏啊。 所以事实信息题不是考你细工出慢活的时候，而是靠你抓Key words paraphrasing and location（关键词替换定位）。 如何最有效的锁定答案，这里小站针对事实信息题给出的第一条锦囊——小单词，大线索。 多年来，被应试题海战术训练的极其有素的考生们，早就学会了巧妙抓关键词了，但往往是我认识这个单词，但我还是选错了。就像你参加一个世界咖啡评选比赛，你觉得认为是白咖啡或巴西咖啡吧，但你未必知道土耳其咖啡才是咖啡之王。分析事实信息题的特点是：范围小，正确率极高。 题型表现最多形式是：因果关系和表比较级关系的长难句。 表因果关系的词： Cause：frontality/since/in that/on account of Effect：so that/therefore/as a result/consequently 表比较级的词： unlike…from /prior to/ more than 所以，在获取key words之后，我们要做的才是重点。你有看过柯南在发现一丝线索后就停止推理吗？不，所谓的大线索，就是将关键词放回原句，让案件重现，理顺关键句的因果关系，让正确选项浮出水面。 纸上谈兵终不靠谱，绝知此事要做真题！ 小伙伴们快来小站托福板块，阅读区实践吧。
TPO25阅读之一(托福阅读真题)
The Evolutionary Origin of Plants The evolutionary history of plants has been marked by a series of adaptations. The ancestors of plants were photosynthetic single-celled organisms that gave rise to plants presumably lacked true roots, stems, leaves, and complex reproductive structures such as flowers. All of these features appeared later in the evolutionary history of plants. Of today’s different groups of algae, green algae are probably the most similar to ancestral plants. This supposition stems from the close phylogenetic (natural evolutionary) relationship between the two groups. DNA comparisons have shown that green algae are plants’ closest living relatives. In addition, other lines of evidence support the hypothesis that land plants evolved from ancestral green algae used the same type of chlorophyll and accessory pigments in photosynthesis as do land plants. This would not be true of red and brown algae. Green algae store food as starch, as do land plants and have cell walls made of cellulose, similar in composition to those of land plants. Again, the good storage and cell wall molecules of red and brown algae are different. Today green algae live mainly in freshwater, suggesting that their early evolutionary history may have occurred in freshwater habitats. If so, the green algae would have been subjected to environmental pressures that resulted in adaptations that enhanced their potential to give rise to land-dwelling or organisms. █The environmental conditions of freshwater habitats, unlike those of ocean habitats, are highly variable. █Water temperature can fluctuate seasonally or even daily and changing level of rainfall can lead to fluctuations in the concentration of chemical in the water or even to period in which the aquatic habitat dries up. █Ancient fresh water green algae must have evolved features that enable them to withstand extremes of temperature and periods of dryness. █These adaptations served their descendant well as they invaded land. selection had shaped the adaptations that helped plants overcome the obstacles to terrestrial living, plants prospered and diversified. When plants pioneered the land, they faced a range of challenges posed by terrestrial environments. On land, the supportive buoyancy of water is missing, the plant is no longer bathed in a nutrient solution, and air tends to dry things out. These conditions favored the evolution of the structures that support the body, vessels that transport water and nutrients to all parts of plant, and structures that conserve water. The resulting adaptations to dry land include some structural features that arose early in plant evolution; now these features are common to virtually all land plant. They include roots or root like structures, a waxy cuticle that covers the surfaces of leaves and stems and limits the evaporation of water, and pores called stomata in leaves and stems that allow gas exchange but close when water is scarce, thus reducing water loss. Other adaptations occurred later in the transition to terrestrial life and now wide spread but not universal among plants. These include conducting vessels that transport water and minerals upward from the roots and that move the photosynthetic products from the leaves to the rest of the plant body and the stiffening substance lignin, which support the plant body, helping it expose maximum surface area to sunlight. These adaptations allowed an increasing diversity of plant forms to exploit dry land. Life on land, however, also required new methods of transporting sperm to eggs. Unlike aquatic and marine forms, land plants cannot always rely on water currents to carrytheir sex cells and disperse their fertilized eggs. So the most successful groups of land plants are those that evolved methods of fertilized sex cell dispersal that are independent of water and structures that protest developing embryos from drying out. Protected embryos and waterless dispersal of sex cells were achieved with the origin of seed plans and the key evolutionary innovations that they introduced: pollen, seeds, and later, flowers and fruits. Paragraph 1: 1.The word “presumably” in the passage is closest in meaning to
新托福阅读题型介绍与技巧
新托福阅读题型介绍 一、细节题 特征：没有特征（因为其他题型都有各自的特征） 数量：每篇3-6题 难度：变化很大 策略：随机应变 二、选非题 特征：NOT/EXCEPT 数量：每篇1题 难度：较低 策略：一定要做对 三、推理题 特征：infer、imply 数量：每篇1-2题 难度：很高 策略：可以放 四、修辞题： 特征：（1）题干与原文被打上了阴影 （2）个选项的开头为TO+关键动词（这些动词代表某个修饰手法，这样的动词很少， 所以遇到都要记住）PS：这类题目有可能会变形 五、词汇题 特征：（1）题干与原文被打上了阴影 （2）以the word/phrase开头 数量：每篇3-6题 难度：非常简单 策略：一定要做对 六、指代题 特征：（1）原文与题干被打上阴影 （2）打上阴影的是某个代词 数量：1题 难度：较低（可以直接测试语法能力） 策略：要做对 七、复述题 特征：(1）原文中一个完整的句子被打上阴影 （2）题干为：which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect answer
choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information. 数量：1题 难度：很难或者很简单 八、插句题 特征：黑色小方框（■） 数量：1题 难度：较低 策略：要做对 九、归总题 特征：两排六个选项 数量：1题 难度：1分很简单，2分有点难 策略：保1争2 新增题型（参考TPO5）：四选二题型：是细节题的变形 全文归纳题：可以去归总题找答案 第二部分各题型解题技巧串讲 阅读的步骤： 第1步：把动滚动条拉到底再拉到顶 （粗略看一遍文章） 第2步：点review键，做完词汇题（不看原文），同时关注一下是否有选非题（因为与原文 对应的东西很多） 第3步：边看边做阅读，要按顺序做（因为托福阅读，题目顺序和题目对应原文的顺序几乎一致。） PS：阅读的流畅性很重要，如果NO1考Para1 NO2考Para3 那么Para2仍然要看。 PPS：永远先看题后看文 第4步（如何处理一道题目？） 找定位词，定位词越多越好 什么是定位词？ 定位词就是出现并只出现在这道题的词 定位词包括：a.特殊名词 b.大写名词 c.数字词 d.年代词 注：题目中的定位词也可能是文章中某词的变形 第5步：排除选项（一般只能排除2个）
托福阅读十大题型-Artisans and Industrialization
托福阅读十大题型-Artisans and Industrialization 托福阅读中词汇题是重要题型之一。根据托福阅读题型不同来进行专项练习，是短期提高托福阅读能力的有效方法。那么，在以下内容中，我们就为大家带来一系列的托福简化题内容汇总希望能为大家的备考带来帮助。 托福阅读句子简化题：Artisans and Industrialization 【Paragraph 2】The creation of a labor force that was accustomed to working in factories did not occur easily. Before the rise of the factory, artisans had worked within the home. Apprentices were considered part of the family, andmasters were responsible not only for teaching their apprentices a trade but also for providing them some education and for supervising their moral behavior. Journeymen knew that if they perfected their skill, they could become respected master artisans with their own shops. Also, skilled artisans did not work by the clock, at a steady pace, but rather in bursts of intense labor alternating with more leisurely time.(Artisans and Industrialization) Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect answer choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information ○Masters demanded moral behavior from apprentices but often treated them irresponsibly. ○The responsibilities of the master to the apprentice went beyond the teaching of a trade. ○Masters preferred to maintain the trade within the family by supervising and
汇总解读托福阅读题型5大类常见高频难题
汇总解读托福阅读题型5大类常见高 频难题 汇总解读托福阅读题型5大类常见高频难题,这些针对性解题技巧赶紧学起来，下面就和大家分享汇总解读托福阅读题型5大类常见高频难题,希望能够帮助到大家，快来学习一下吧。 汇总解读托福阅读题型5大类常见高频难题 托福阅读高频难点题型：主旨题 主旨题有三种：A、作者的意图;B、*标题;C、*的中心思想。这种题一般为第一道题，建议考生把这道题放在最后做，因为做其他题时，考生会逐步了解*的各个细节，在做题的过程中就会对*个总的理解，最后处理主旨题可谓水到渠成、万无一失。 托福阅读高频难点题型：列举题 列举题有两种：A、一正三误;B、三正误。也可分为四类。第一类：一句话列举。根据某个选项的语言提示，回归*找到一句话，这句话包含三个选项的内容;第二类：局部列举。根据题意，回归*发现连续两三句话涉及三个选项的内容;第三类：段落列举。题干语言在某自然段首句重现。这个句子为段落主题句，即三个选项的内容在这段出现，不涉及到其他段落;第四类：*列
举。选项内容涉及整个*。一句话列举题和段落列举题有明显的信号词帮助答题，根据题序做题，不必区别对待。*列举题和局部列举题则应放其他题做完之后再处理。 托福阅读高频难点题型：*结论题 *结论题即根据*可以推断出下面哪个选项结论是正确的，题干没有任何语言信号词。这种题有以下几种布局：为*第一道题时，相当于*主旨题，应放在最后一道题时，有可能针对*最后部分，也有可能针对整篇*，但不大可能涉及*其他部分的细节。所以*结论题应该具体情况具体分析，并不一定是面对整个*。 托福阅读高频难点题型：作者态度题 作者态度题分为两种：A、局部作者态度题;B、整体作者态度题。*最后一道题问及作者态度时为整体作者态度题，它涉及通篇*，要根据整个*数个语言点串起来的一根主线答题，也就是作者行文的口气。考生千万不可以根据某一个语言点答题，因为整体作者态度题不是考核某一个点，而是考整体感觉。局部作者态度题位置比较灵活，往往问及作者对*中某一个具体内容的看法，题干通常信号请将考生带回*某一区域，考查考生对某个语言点的理解。有时候，某个选项从作者的表达相悖，因此，做作者态度题时，考生一定注意不要把自己作为读者的分析、观点强加于作者。
托福阅读真题100篇原文+题目(二十二)
托福阅读真题100篇原文+题目(二十二) 很多同学在备考托福阅读的过程中，总是找不到合适的备考资料。三立教育在这里为大家整理了托福阅读真题100篇。相信这些真题能够辅助大家更好地来完成托福阅读备考。 PASSAGE 22 Throughout the nineteenth century and into the twentieth, citizens of the United States maintained a bias against big cities. Most lived on farms and in small towns and believed cities to be centers of corruption, crime, poverty, and moral degradation. Their distrust was caused, in part, by a national ideology that proclaimed farming the greatest occupation and rural living superior to urban living. This attitude prevailed even as the number of urban dwellers increased and cities became an essential feature of the national landscape. Gradually, economic reality overcame ideology. Thousands abandoned the precarious life on the farm for more secure and better paying jobs in the city. But when these people migrated from the countryside, they carried their fears and suspicious with them. These new urbanities, already convinced that cities were overwhelmed with great problems, eagerly embraced the progressive reforms that promised to bring order out of the chaos of the city. One of many reforms came in the area of public utilities. Water and sewerage systems were usually operated by municipal governments, but the gas and electric networks were privately owned. Reformers feared that the privately owned utility companies would charge exorbitant rates for these essential services and deliver them only to people who could afford them. Some city and state governments responded by regulating the utility companies, but a number of cities began to supply these services themselves. Proponents of these reforms argued that public ownership and regulation would insure widespread access to these utilities and guarantee a fair price.
托福阅读难点题型解题思路实例分析
托福阅读难点题型解题思路实例分 析 托福阅读难点题型解题思路实例分析, 句子简化题做法介绍。今天给大家带来托福阅读难点题型解题思路实例分析,希望可以帮助到大家，下面就和大家分享，来欣赏一下吧。 托福阅读难点题型解题思路实例分析句子简化题做法介绍托福阅读句子简化题怎么做? 托福阅读的句子简化题要求考生快速地把*段落中打上阴影的一个长难句简化成一个意思不变的同义句。解答句子简化题其实有一个规律，那就是：原句的核心信息在正确选项中一定被同义改写了，但是句子中的重要的逻辑关系是不会变的。知道这个规律，解开这道题就变得简单了。 托福阅读句子简化题解题技巧实例讲解 下面，我们来看官方真题Official3Desertification这篇*的句子简化题： The extreme seriousness of desertification results from the vast areas of land and the tremendousnumbers of people affected,
as well as from thegreat difficulty of reversing or even slowing the process. A Desertification is a significant problem because it is so hard to reverse and affects largeareas of land and great numbers of people. B Slowing down the process of desertification is difficult because of population growth that has spread overlarge areas of land. C The spread of deserts is considered a very seriousproblem that can be solved only if large numbers of people in various countriesare involved in the effort. D Desertification is extremely hard to reverse unless thepopulation is reduced in the vast areas affected. 很多托福考生在做句子简化题时，习惯性地把待简化的句子翻译成中文，那样做其实不仅慢，而且很容易乱。 正确的做法是： 1.找出句子的主谓宾，也就是谁做了什么，然后关注句子的逻辑关系。例题的主语是：seriousness of desertification，逻辑关系词是表示原因的：result from，所以我们可以优先看有表示原因的选项，他们中若有正确答案，那么剩下的选项就无需过问了。
老托福阅读真题及答案：PASSAGE 18
老托福阅读真题及答案：PASSAGE 18 During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, almost nothing was written about the contributions of women during the colonial period and the early history of the newly formed United States. Lacking the right to vote and absent from the seats of power, women were not considered an important force in history. Anne Bradstreet wrote some significant poetry in the seventeenth century, Mercy Otis Warren produced the best contemporary history of the American Revolution, and Abigail Adams penned important letters showing she exercised great political influence over her husband, John, the second President of the United States. But little or no notice was taken of these contributions. During these centuries, women remained invisible in history books. Throughout the nineteenth century, this lack of visibility continued, despite the efforts of female authors writing about women. These writers, like most of their male counterparts, were amateur historians. Their writings were celebratory in nature, and they were uncritical in their selection and use of sources. During the nineteenth century, however, certain feminists showed a keen sense of history by keeping records of activities in which women were engaged. National, regional, and local women's organizations compiled accounts of their doings. Personal correspondence, newspaper clippings, and souvenirs were saved and stored. These sources from the core of the two greatest collections of women's history in the United States one at the Elizabeth and Arthur Schlesinger Library at Radcliff é College, and the other the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College. Such sources have provided valuable materials for later generations of historians. Despite the gathering of more information about ordinary women during the nineteenth century, most of the writing about women conformed to the "great women" theory of history, just as much of mainstream American history concentrated on "great men." To demonstrate that women were making significant contributions to American life, female authors singled out women leaders and wrote biographies, or else important women produced their autobiographies. Most of these leaders were involved