(C) In England, as in France, the general pre- judice against higher education for women limited women's function in literary salons to a primarily social one.
(D) The literary salons provided a sounding board for French and English women who called for access to all the educa- tional institutions in their societies on an equal basis with men.
(E) For women, who did not have access to higher education as men did, literary salons provided an alternate route to learning and a challenge to some of society's basic assumptions about women.
18. According to the passage, a significant distinc- tion between the salonnieres and Bluestockings was in the way each group regarded which of the following?
(A) The value of acquiring knowledge
(B) The role of pleasure in the activities of the literary salon
(C) The desirability of a complete break with societal traditions
(D) The inclusion of women of different back- grounds in the salons
(E) The attainment of full social and political equality with men
19. The author refers to differences in social back- ground between salonnieres and Bluestockings in order to do which of the following?
(A) Criticize the view that their choices of activities were significantly influenced by male salon members
(B) Discuss the reasons why literary salons in France were established before those in England
(C) Question the importance of the Bluestockings in shaping public attitudes toward educated women
(D) Refute the argument that the French salons had little influence over the direction the English salons took
(E) Explain the differences in atmosphere and style in their salons
20. Which of the following statements is most compatible with the principles of the salonnieres as described in the passage?