Which of the following statements most directly expresses the author’s thesis in the passage? "[l]essons in the art of being feminine lay all around me" (paragraph 1, sentence 1) answer a: "[l]essons in the art of being feminine lay all around me" (paragraph 1, sentence 1) a "i loved being a little girl, or rather i loved being a fairy princess, for that was who i thought i was" (paragraph 1, sentence 2) answer b: "i loved being a little girl, or rather i loved being a fairy princess, for that was who i thought i was" (paragraph 1, sentence 2) b "femininity was a challenge thrown down to the female sex, a challenge no proud, self-respecting young woman could afford to ignore" (paragraph 2, sentence 2) answer c: "femininity was a challenge thrown down to the female sex, a challenge no proud, self-respecting young woman could afford to ignore" (paragraph 2, sentence 2) c "‘isn’t it remarkable how she manages to retain her femininity?’ had terrifying implications" (paragraph 3, sentence 1) answer d: "‘isn’t it remarkable how she manages to retain her femininity?’ had terrifying implications" (paragraph 3, sentence 1) d "they spoke of a bottom-line failure so irreversible that nothing else mattered" (paragraph 3, sentence 2).