Question

read the excerpt from \for the era.\
for instance, the constitution guarantees due process of law, in the fifth and fourteenth amendments. but the applicability of due process to sex distinctions is not clear. women are excluded from some state colleges and universities. in some states, restrictions are placed on a married woman who engages in an independent business. women may not be chosen for some juries. women even receive heavier criminal penalties than men who commit the same crime.
which best paraphrases this excerpt without changing chisolms meaning?
○ the fifth and fourteenth amendments guarantee due process of law, which should include sex distinctions, but their application remains unclear because women are excluded from some state colleges and universities, some juries, some business, and some courtrooms.
○ the constitution guarantees equal protection under the law, but the fifth and fourteenth amendments do not apply equally to women; for example, women are not allowed to attend certain schools, serve on certain juries, engage in independent business, or even be given the same penalty for the same crime a man commits.
○ due process, guaranteed by the constitution, is

Explanation:

First, identify the core points of the original excerpt: 1) The Constitution's 5th/14th Amendments guarantee due process, but its application to sex distinctions is unclear. 2) Examples of gender-based inequities: women excluded from some state colleges, restrictions on married women's independent business, barred from some juries, harsher criminal penalties than men for the same crime.

Analyze the options:

• The first option incorrectly claims due process "should include sex distinctions" (the original says applicability is unclear, not that it should include them) and adds an unstated "courtrooms" example.
• The second option accurately restates the core idea of unequal application of constitutional protections, and all examples match the original excerpt's details without altering the meaning.
• The third option is cut off and incomplete, so it cannot be correct.

Answer:

The Constitution guarantees equal protection under the law, but the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments do not apply equally to women; for example, women are not allowed to attend certain schools, serve on certain juries, engage in independent business, or even be given the same penalty for the same crime a man commits.