Question

Read the excerpt from "Why I Wrote 'The Yellow Wallpaper.'" This wise man put me to bed and applied the rest cure, to which a still-good physique responded so promptly that he concluded there was nothing much the matter with me, and sent me home with solemn advice to “live as domestic a life as far as possible,” to “have but two hours’ intellectual life a day,” and “never to touch pen, brush, or pencil again” as long as I lived. Why was Gilman advised “never to touch pen, brush, or pencil again”? Her doctor believed that she’d been poisoned by ink, paint, and lead. Her doctor believed that intellectual effort was making her ill. Her doctor was afraid that she would write something negative about him. Her doctor was afraid that she was not strong enough to hold the tools.

Answer 1

The correct option is this: HER DOCTOR BELIEVED THAT INTELLECTUAL EFFORT WAS MAKING HER ILL.
The piece above was written by a woman who was experiencing severe nervous break down. She went to see a specialist who advised her to stop engaging herself in her artistic career. The doctor believed that the nervous breakdown she was experiencing was as a result of the stress of her work.

Answer 2

Answer: Her doctor believed that intellectual effort was making her ill.

The passage was written during a time period in which women were encouraged to engage only in traditionally female activities. It was believed that women were mentally weaker than men, so their lives needed to provide comfort and safety, rather than stimulation. The doctor believed that intellectual activities (painting, writing, thinking, etc.) were making the patient sick, so he advised her to have a "domestic" life, stay home as much as possible and stop her intellectual activities.