The English scientist Edward Jenner (1749-1823) is usually credited

Question

The English scientist Edward Jenner (1749-1823) is usually credited with the discovery of vaccines in the late eighteenth century, when he began vaccinating against cowpox (hence the term vaccine, which derives from vacca, meaning cow). But at least one hundred years before Jenner’s discovery, the Ottoman Turks were already using methods of inoculation to prevent disease. Lady Montagu, wife of the British ambassador to Turkey during the early eighteenth century, records that she had her son vaccinated in Istanbul using a method that the Turkish had been employing for decades. The Ottoman Turks, however, were not the first to use vaccines. It is believed that the Chinese had discovered the value of inoculation as far back as 200 BC, and one scholar has suggested that vaccination as a common means of disease prevention might been widespread in India as early as the eleventh century.

Which of the following best summarizes the main point of the passage?

(A) Edward Jenner is mistakenly credited with the discovery of vaccines, because Lady Montagu inoculated her son in Istanbul in the early eighteenth century.

(B) Although Edward Jenner is usually credited with the discovery of vaccines in the late eighteenth century, research indicates that vaccines were used in the East long before Jenner began using them.

(C) Historians believe that doctors in China and India were using vaccines as early as the eleventh century and maybe even as far back as 200 BC.

(D) The Ottoman Turks are wrongly credited for discovery of vaccines in the early eighteenth century, because vaccines were used in China and India long before.

(E) Edward Jenner took credit in the late eighteenth century for the discovery of a vaccine that Lady Montagu used prior to then to inoculate her son in Turkey.

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Nikhil17bhatt · Answer

IMO B

Option (A): Edward Jenner is mistakenly credited with the discovery of vaccines, because Lady Montagu inoculated her son in Istanbul in the early eighteenth century.

Explanation: This option focuses on Lady Montagu's inoculation of her son in Istanbul and suggests that Jenner is mistakenly credited. However, the passage mentions that the practice of inoculation existed even before Lady Montagu's time, in China and India. Therefore, this option does not capture the full scope of the passage.
Option (B): Although Edward Jenner is usually credited with the discovery of vaccines in the late eighteenth century, research indicates that vaccines were used in the East long before Jenner began using them.

Explanation: This option accurately reflects the main point of the passage. It acknowledges Jenner's credit for the discovery of vaccines but highlights that vaccines were used in the East (Ottoman Turks, China, and India) long before Jenner's time.
Option (C): Historians believe that doctors in China and India were using vaccines as early as the eleventh century and maybe even as far back as 200 BC.

Explanation: This option focuses solely on the historical use of vaccines in China and India, but it does not address Jenner's credit or the Ottoman Turks' use of vaccines. Therefore, it does not fully summarize the main point of the passage.
Option (D): The Ottoman Turks are wrongly credited for discovery of vaccines in the early eighteenth century, because vaccines were used in China and India long before.

Explanation: This option suggests that the Ottoman Turks are wrongly credited, but the passage does not state that the Turks are wrongly credited. Instead, it mentions that the Turks were using inoculation methods before Jenner, and that these methods were known even earlier in China and India. This option misrepresents the passage's main point.
Option (E): Edward Jenner took credit in the late eighteenth century for the discovery of a vaccine that Lady Montagu used prior to then to inoculate her son in Turkey.

Explanation: This option implies that Jenner took credit for something Lady Montagu did, but the passage does not suggest that Jenner took credit for her specific actions. Instead, it highlights the historical use of vaccines before Jenner's time, including by the Ottoman Turks and in China and India.

Bunuel · Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

Overview:

In this question, a passage provides information about the origin of vaccines, describing conflicting details: the English scientist Edward Jenner usually receives credit for being the first to develop vaccinations in the late eighteenth century, but historical evidence suggests that the Ottoman Turks were inoculating people before that. Additional details indicate that the peoples of China and India have been using various forms of vaccination for centuries. The student is asked to select an answer choice that best summarizes the main point of the passage.

The Correct Answer:

B All the details in the passage lead to one central suggestion: although the Englishman (and hence Westerner) Edward Jenner is usually credited with the discovery of vaccines in the late eighteenth century, historical evidence suggests that peoples in the East were using vaccines long before Jenner began using them. This most clearly summarizes the passage, so answer choice (B) is the best answer.

The Incorrect Answers:

A The information regarding Lady Montagu’s experience with vaccines in Turkey is useful in establishing that inoculations were already familiar to some societies before Jenner’s discovery, but it is not the main point of the passage. Therefore, answer choice (A) can be eliminated for having insufficient information.

C Answer choice (C) summarizes important details in the paragraph, but it fails to summarize the larger point – that because there is evidence of vaccination during earlier centuries in China and India, Jenner cannot necessarily be credited with the discovery of vaccines. Answer choice (C) leaves important information out of the summary, so it is incorrect.

D The information about inoculation use in China and India well before Jenner’s work strongly suggests that the Ottoman Turks cannot claim the discovery of vaccines, but the passage makes no claim that the Ottoman Turks discovered vaccines (or that they are said to have discovered vaccines). Rather, the passage claims only that they were using them before Jenner. Answer choice (D) is incorrect.

E The passage makes no claim that Jenner himself took credit for the discovery of vaccines, claiming instead only that Jenner is generally credited with this discovery. What is more, there is no indication in the passage that Lady Montagu’s son was vaccinated for cowpox, the illness that Jenner treated with his vaccines. Therefore, answer choice (E) is clearly incorrect.

The English scientist Edward Jenner (1749-1823) is usually credited

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