Meaning of a paragraph about a literary heritage?

Question

Passage to analyze:> Tillie Olsen's fiction and essays have been widely and rightly> acknowledged as major contributions to American literature. Her work> has been particularly valued by contemporary feminists. Yet few of> Olsen's readers realize the extent to which her vision and choice of> subject are rooted in an earlier literary heritage—the tradition of> radical political thought, mostly socialist and anarchist, of the> 1910's and 1920's, and the Old Left tradition of the 1930's. I do not> mean that one can adequately explain the eloquence of her work in> terms of its political origins, or that left-wing politics were the> single most important influence on it. My point is that its central> consciousness—its profound understanding of class and gender as> shaping influences on people's lives—owes much to that earlier> literary heritage, a heritage that, in general, has not been> sufficiently valued by most contemporary literary critics.Multiple-choice question:> The primary purpose of the passage is to:> 1. point out a literary heritage to which Olsen's work is related> 2. argue that Olsen's understanding of class and gender is her greatest gift as a writer> 3. acknowledge Olsen's importance as the leading spokesperson for a radical literary heritage> 4. urge literary critics to investigate the origins of a literary heritage> 5. suggest that Olsen's work has been placed in a literary heritage to which it does not belongI had chosen 3 because his writing influences women. But answer is given 1. Where is my point is wrong?

Answer 1

It's important not to over-think the answer choices. What primary purpose phrase occurs throughout the passage? 'literary heritage', whether old or new (radical) thoughts are involved...reading suggests that earlier literary writers introduced the class and gender differences. Therefore, the answer #1 fits best because it points out a literary heritage to which Olsen's work is related. And, yes, Olsen's work is valued mostly by CONTEMPORARY feminists who have not given credence to the earlier literary writers who first introduced class/gender differences. So, 3 is not the best answer for the passage's primary purpose. I hope my reasoning makes sense to you.