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Difficulty: MediumCalls for Reform and Responses after 1900

The following is an excerpt from a memoir by Wangari Maathai, founder of the Green Belt Movement in Kenya, reflecting on the movement's origins in the late 1970s:

"When we began, we were simply responding to the immediate needs of rural women. They reported that their streams were drying up, their food supply was less secure, and they had to walk further and further to get firewood... We soon realized that the degradation of our local environment was not an isolated event. It was directly linked to the disempowerment of women, the loss of indigenous knowledge, and a political system that did not allow citizens to participate in decision-making. Therefore, planting trees became a vehicle through which rural women could reclaim their agency, protect their livelihoods, and challenge the broader structures of governance."

Based on the passage, the activities of the Green Belt Movement best illustrate which of the following global developments in the late twentieth century?

  1. A
    The spread of high-yielding crop varieties and chemical fertilizers to resolve global food crises.
  2. The ways in which local grass-roots movements linked environmental sustainability with social and political rights.Answer
  3. C
    The rapid cultural homogenization of postcolonial societies through the adoption of Western ecological values.
  4. D
    The establishment of direct political rule and territorial control over resource-rich nations by multinational corporations.

Answer

The ways in which local grass-roots movements linked environmental sustainability with social and political rights.
The correct answer is correct because the passage demonstrates how the Green Belt Movement, starting as a local environmental initiative to plant trees, recognized the link between ecological degradation and social issues like the disempowerment of women and political exclusion, thereby combining environmental sustainability with campaigns for human rights and democratic reform.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus to identify the core activities and goals of the Green Belt Movement.
The movement began with rural women planting trees to address environmental degradation but evolved into a campaign for women's empowerment and political governance reform.
Understanding the author's connection between environmental conservation and socio-political rights is key to answering the question.
2
Evaluate each option against the historical developments of the late twentieth century and the details of the passage.
The option focusing on grass-roots movements linking environmental sustainability with social and political rights directly matches the text, while other options represent historical misconceptions.
This isolates the correct choice by matching the historical context and rejecting incorrect distractors.

Key Concept

Calls for Reform and Responses after 1900
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Calls for Reform and Responses after 1900

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