In the late nineteenth century, the need for women physicians in missi

Question

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Passage # 74, Date: 07-May-2020
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In the late nineteenth century, the need for women physicians in missionary hospitals in Canton, China, led to expanded opportunities for both Western women and Chinese women. The presence of Western women as medical missionaries in China was made possible by certain changes within the Western missionary movement. Beginning in the 1870s, increasingly large numbers of women were forming women's foreign mission societies dedicated to the support of women's foreign mission work. Beyond giving the women who organized the societies a formal activity outside their home circles, these organizations enabled an increasing number of single women missionaries (as opposed to women who were part of the more typical husband-wife missionary teams) to work abroad. Before the formation of these women's organizations, mission funds had been collected by ministers and other church leaders, most of whom emphasized local parish work. What money was spent on foreign missions was under the control of exclusively male foreign mission boards whose members were uniformly uneasy about the new idea of sending single women out into the mission field. But as women's groups began raising impressive amounts of money donated specifically in support of single women missionaries, the home churches bowed both to women's changing roles at home and to increasing numbers of single professional missionary women abroad.

Although the idea of employing a woman physician was a daring one for most Western missionaries in China, the advantages of a well-trained Western woman physician could not be ignored by Canton mission hospital administrators. A woman physician could attend women patients without offending any of the accepted conventions of female modesty. Eventually, some of these women were able to found and head separate women's medical institutions, thereby gaining access to professional responsibilities far beyond those available to them at home.

These developments also led to the attainment of valuable training and status by a significant number of Chinese women. The presence of women physicians in Canton mission hospitals led many Chinese women to avail themselves of Western medicine who might otherwise have failed to do so because of their culture's emphasis on physical modesty. In order to provide enough women physicians for these patients, growing numbers of young Chinese women were given instruction in medicine. This enabled them to earn an independent income, something that was then largely unavailable to women within traditional Chinese society. Many women graduates were eventually able to go out on their own into private practice, freeing themselves of dependence upon the mission community.

The most important result of these opportunities was the establishment of clear evidence of women's abilities and strengths, clear reasons for affording women expanded opportunities, and clear role models for how these abilities and responsibilities might be exercised.   1 
 E 
 1. Which one of the following statements about Western women missionaries working abroad can be inferred from the passage?

(A) There were very few women involved in foreign missionary work before the 1870s.
(B) Most women working abroad as missionaries before the 1870s were financed by women's foreign mission societies.
(C) Most women employed in mission hospitals abroad before the 1870s were trained as nurses rather than as physicians.
(D) The majority of professional women missionaries working abroad before the 1870s were located in Canton, China.
(E) Most women missionaries working abroad before the 1870s were married to men who were also missionaries.

2 
 D 
 2. The author mentions that most foreign mission boards were exclusively male most probably in order to

(A) Contrast foreign mission boards with the boards of secular organizations sending aid to China.
(B) Explain the policy of foreign mission boards toward training Chinese women in medicine.
(C) Justify the preference of foreign mission boards for professionally qualified missionaries.
(D) Help account for the attitude of foreign mission boards towards sending single women missionaries abroad.
(E) Differentiate foreign mission boards from boards directing parish work at home.

3 
 A 
 3. Which one of the following best describes the organization of the passage?

(A) A situation is described, conditions that brought about the situation are explained, and results of the situation are enumerated.
(B) An assertion is made, statements supporting and refuting the assertion are examined, and a conclusion is drawn.
(C) An obstacle is identified, a variety of possible ways to overcome the obstacle are presented, and an opinion is ventured.
(D) A predicament is outlined, factors leading up to the predicament are scrutinized, and a tentative resolution of the predicament is recommended.
(E) A development is analyzed, the drawbacks and advantages accompanying the development are contrasted, and an eventual outcome is predicted.

4 
 A 
 4. Which one of the following, if true, would most undermine the author's analysis of the reason for the increasing number of single women missionaries sent abroad beginning in the 1870s?

(A) The Western church boards that sent the greatest number of single women missionaries abroad had not received any financial support from women's auxiliary groups.
(B) The women who were sent abroad as missionary physicians had been raised in families with a strong history of missionary commitment.
(C) Most of the single missionary women sent abroad were trained as teachers and translators rather than as medical practitioners.
(D) The western church boards tended to send abroad single missionary women who had previously been active in local parish work.
(E) None of the single missionary women who were sent abroad were active members of foreign mission boards.

5 
 D 
 5. According to the passage, which one of the following was a factor in the acceptance of Western women as physicians in mission hospitals in Canton, China?

(A) The number of male physicians practicing in that region.
(B) The specific women's foreign mission society that supplied the funding.
(C) The specific home parishes from which the missionary women came.
(D) The cultural conventions of the host society.
(E) The relations between the foreign mission boards and the hospital administrators.

6 
 D 
 6. The passage suggests which one of the following about medical practices in late-nineteenth-century Canton, China?

(A) There was great suspicion of non-Chinese medical practices.
(B) Medical care was more often administered in the home than in hospitals.
(C) It was customary for women physicians to donate a portion of their income for the maintenance of their extended family.
(D) It was not customary for female patients to be treated by male physicians.
(E) Young women tended to be afforded as many educational opportunities in medicine as young men were.

Source:   LSAT Official PrepTest 6   ( October 1992 ) 
 Difficulty Level:   600

SiffyB · Accepted Answer

Hi  jawele ,

I'm happy to help!

4. Which one of the following, if true, would most undermine the author's analysis of the reason for the increasing number of single women missionaries sent abroad beginning in the 1870s?
 
  (A) The Western church boards that sent the greatest number of single women missionaries abroad had not received any financial support from women's auxiliary groups. 
 (B) The women who were sent abroad as missionary physicians had been raised in families with a strong history of missionary commitment.
(C) Most of the single missionary women sent abroad were trained as teachers and translators rather than as medical practitioners.
(D) The western church boards tended to send abroad single missionary women who had previously been active in local parish work.
(E) None of the single missionary women who were sent abroad were active members of foreign mission boards.

The first paragraph of the passage tells us that the money to be spent on foreign mission works was the  sole discretion of male board memebers  who were uneasy sending single women on foreign mission. However, "as women's groups began raising impressive amounts of money donated specifically in support of single women missionaries, the home churches bowed...". From this sentence we understand that  the reason why churches agreed to send women abroad was the money raised by women's groups .

To answer this question, one could present an example where a very large group of women sent abroad were from churches that received little or no donation at all from the women's groups. This would break the author's argument since the author claims that the sole motivation of the churches to allow single women to work abroad was the money they received from the women's groups. (A) precisely talks about this scenario and is our correct answer.

Now let's shift gears and talk about option (D).
One of the main reasons why I eliminated this option was the explanation I suggested above:  We have to understand the author's argument and refute that , not bring in any information that seems to fit the context. 
Further, you seem to be mixing information from two different contexts (times) in the passage. 
The late 19th century = 1851 to 1900. 
The question talks about beginning of the 1870s. 
The women's groups were formed in the beginning of the 1870s.

Now read this sentence:
" Before the formation of these women's organizations , mission funds had been collected by ministers and other church leaders, most of whom emphasized local parish work." 
This means that before the 1870s, many ministers and other church leaders emphasized local parish work. But are we concerned about what happened before 1870s? NO! We are concerned about what happened after or during the 1870s.

What if the ministers and church leaders who emphasized local parish work changed their stance after the women's groups raised large sums of money? What if they now did not emphasize local parish work? They may or may not support local parish work. It is unstated information for us. Since, we don't know their stance after 1870s, we cannot use this information in the answer choice.

Hope this helps!

jawele · Answer

1. Which one of the following statements about Western women missionaries working abroad can be inferred from the passage?
(A) There were very few women involved in foreign missionary work before the 1870s. not given; there were some who moved together with their husbands
(B) Most women working abroad as missionaries before the 1870s were financed by womenâ€™s foreign mission societies. Before the formation of these womenâ€™s organizations, mission funds had been collected by ministers and other church leaders, most of whom emphasized local parish work. What money was spent on foreign missions was under the control of exclusively male foreign mission boards <...>
(C) Most women employed in mission hospitals abroad before the 1870s were trained as nurses rather than as physicians. not given
(D) The majority of professional women missionaries working abroad before the 1870s were located in Canton, China. In the late nineteenth century, the need for women physicians in missionary hospitals in Canton, China <...>
(E) Most women missionaries working abroad before the 1870s were married to men who were also missionaries. correct: "Beyond giving the women who organized the societies a formal activity outside their home circles, these organizations enabled an increasing number of single women missionaries (as opposed to women who were part of the more typical husband-wife missionary teams) to work abroad. "

2. The author mentions that most foreign mission boards were exclusively male most probably in order to Relevant text: Before the formation of these womenâ€™s organizations, mission funds had been collected by ministers and other church leaders, most of whom emphasized local parish work. What money was spent on foreign missions was under the control of exclusively male foreign mission boards whose members were uniformly uneasy about the new idea of sending single women out into the mission field. But <...> the home churches bowed both to womenâ€™s changing roles at home and to increasing numbers of single professional missionary women abroad.
(A) Contrast foreign mission boards with the boards of secular organizations sending aid to China. the males were those who used to decided to let women on missionary work or not
(B) Explain the policy of foreign mission boards toward training Chinese women in medicine. a mix-up
(C) Justify the preference of foreign mission boards for professionally qualified missionaries.
(D) Help account for the attitude of foreign mission boards towards sending single women missionaries abroad. correct
(E) Differentiate foreign mission boards from boards directing parish work at home. <...> mission funds had been collected by ministers and other church leaders, most of whom emphasized local parish work. - so it seems they both stressed the parish work

3. Which one of the following best describes the organization of the passage?
(A) A situation is described, conditions that brought about the situation are explained, and results of the situation are enumerated. correct: "<...>the need for women physicians in missionary hospitals in Canton, China, led to expanded opportunities for both Western women and Chinese women"
(B) An assertion is made, statements supporting and refuting the assertion are examined, and a conclusion is drawn.
(C) An obstacle is identified, a variety of possible ways to overcome the obstacle are presented, and an opinion is ventured.
(D) A predicament is outlined, factors leading up to the predicament are scrutinized, and a tentative resolution of the predicament is recommended. it was a positive situation
(E) A development is analyzed, the drawbacks and advantages accompanying the development are contrasted, and an eventual outcome is predicted.

4. Which one of the following, if true, would most undermine the authorâ€™s analysis of the reason for the increasing number of single women missionaries sent abroad beginning in the 1870s? Relevant text: The presence of Western women as medical missionaries in China was made possible by certain changes within the Western missionary movement. Beginning in the 1870s, increasingly large numbers of women were forming womenâ€™s foreign mission societies dedicated to the support of womenâ€™s foreign mission work. Beyond giving the women who organized the societies a formal activity outside their home circles, these organizations enabled an increasing number of single women missionaries (as opposed to women who were part of the more typical husband-wife missionary teams) to work abroad. Before the formation of these womenâ€™s organizations, mission funds had been collected by ministers and other church leaders, most of whom emphasized local parish work. What money was spent on foreign missions was under the control of exclusively male foreign mission boards whose members were uniformly uneasy about the new idea of sending single women out into the mission field. But as womenâ€™s groups began raising impressive amounts of money donated specifically in support of single women missionaries, the home churches bowed both to womenâ€™s changing roles at home and to increasing numbers of single professional missionary women abroad.
(A) The Western church boards that sent the greatest number of single women missionaries abroad had not received any financial support from womenâ€™s auxiliary groups. this shows that even though, the funding was well collected, the foreign boards did not send that many single women - the churches kept sending most of them
(B) The women who were sent abroad as missionary physicians had been raised in families with a strong history of missionary commitment.
(C) Most of the single missionary women sent abroad were trained as teachers and translators rather than as medical practitioners.
(D) The western church boards tended to send abroad single missionary women who had previously been active in local parish work.
(E) None of the single missionary women who were sent abroad were active members of foreign mission boards.

5. According to the passage, which one of the following was a factor in the acceptance of Western women as physicians in mission hospitals in Canton, China? Relevant text: woman physician could attend women patients without offending any of the accepted conventions of female modesty.
(A) The number of male physicians practicing in that region.
(B) The specific womenâ€™s foreign mission society that supplied the funding. the funding helped to carry out such missionary work, but the acceptance to the hospitals was influenced by female gender of the missionary physicians that allowed to build relationships with female patients
(C) The specific home parishes from which the missionary women came. <...> other church leaders, most of whom emphasized local parish work. - this doesn't even talk about women
(D) The cultural conventions of the host society. correct
(E) The relations between the foreign mission boards and the hospital administrators.

6. The passage suggests which one of the following about medical practices in late-nineteenth-century Canton, China?
(A) There was great suspicion of non-Chinese medical practices. These developments [foreign missionary work] also led to the attainment of valuable training and status by a significant number of Chinese women. The presence of women physicians in Canton mission hospitals led many Chinese women to avail themselves of Western medicine who might otherwise have failed to do so <...> - the work was positively welcomed; also "non-Chinese" seems to be too broad to adequately judge the statement
(B) Medical care was more often administered in the home than in hospitals.
(C) It was customary for women physicians to donate a portion of their income for the maintenance of their extended family. mix-up: "But as womenâ€™s groups began raising impressive amounts of money donated specifically in support of single women missionaries<...>"
(D) It was not customary for female patients to be treated by male physicians. correct - " A woman physician could attend women patients without offending any of the accepted conventions of female modesty. "
(E) Young women tended to be afforded as many educational opportunities in medicine as young men were.

jawele · Answer

Could anybody comment Q4? I'm curious why D doesn't work.

Thank you

dabaobao · Answer

Dense passage! Typical of a LSAT passage. Got 5/6 correct in 16:24 min including 5:50 min to read the passage.

iamdivs · Answer

5/6 correct in 9:38 minutes total. Can anyone post the difficulty level of the questions and the overall passage. I only found 2 questions to be difficult (got one of them wrong).

Sajjad1994 · Answer

1. Hard
2. Easy
3. Easy
4. Hard
5. Medium
6. Medium.

ak4hilesh · Answer

9 mins? How bruh? Like How? Took me 16 min in total. Can you please elaborate your approach?

Laksh47 · Answer

Can anyone pls tell why option A for Q6 is incorrect?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Chinese medical practices come to the fore in  Paragraphs 2  and  3.   Paragraph 3  asserts that many Chinese women would have been unlikely to seek medical treatment but for the presence of a female doctor in whose presence they’d (inferably) be more comfortable. This leads to (D)’s inference that, customarily, male doctors didn’t treat female patients.

(A)  contradicts the passage: many Chinese women began to avail themselves of Western medicine at this time, see the lines in the passage:

"The presence of women physicians in Canton mission hospitals led many Chinese women to avail themselves of Western medicine who might otherwise have failed to do so because of their culture’s emphasis on physical modesty."

So D is correct and A is incorrect.

deveshj21 · Answer

Sajjad1994 
How can we interpret the term "MANY" as stated in the correct answer choice E of Q1.
Thats the reason I didn't mark the ans as E.

Please help

CEdward · Answer

Hi all, I am wondering for these passages whether it's necessary to take notes. I find that I NEVER end up looking at the notes after I take them and given the time constraints on the exam, I don't even know if it's worthwhile.

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In the late nineteenth century, the need for women physicians in missi

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