Q14

[rmoncel]

Hi there,

After failing on this question twice, I feel compelled to ask: can you help me rule out answers C and E?

A, C, and E looked good, so from that point on, I guess we're looking for minor details that can knock out two of the answer choices. Here are some possible flaws, but let me know what you think:

(C) This answer choice states that surviving documents contain little biographical and technical data. Lines 55-58 confirm that the documents found contain no biographical information, but perhaps we can infer from lines 47-50 that some texts contained technical data ("various classical medical works")?

(E) It seemed to me that the author was taking issue with the view articulated by some (lines 10-16) that women did not practice medicine until relatively recently. Even though the author does not reference "scholars", I thought this was something that we could reasonably infer.

I'm struggling with synthesis questions! Thanks for your help!

[ManhattanPrepLSAT1]

On main point questions that test your ability to synthesize information, finding support for an answer choice from various points in the passage is not enough to allow us to select it. There may be several answer choices that all do that. You'll need to find the one of them that is actually something the author intended the passage to be written for.

(C) is close but the author does not attempt to conclude that inferences can be drawn from the fact that female doctors existed. But rather, the author is trying to establish that female doctors did in fact exist.
(E) the author does say that those weren't the first examples of female doctors, but the author does not claim that any scholars actually hold that view. The main point could not represent a challenge to scholars since the author never introduces scholars who hold that view.

Does that help you with eliminating (C) and (E)? I think (C) is actually closer than (E) but both or only slightly shifted from the text in the passage and play naturally into an easily adopted perception in the passage that the author is attempting to dispel a popular myth.

[cyruswhittaker]

So basically for C, it has the relationship messed up. In line 5-6 "Yet even from these fragments..." it's evident that what it should actually be saying is that from the fragments, we can infer that there were female doctors in ancient Greece/Rome.

Is this correct? I also got tricked by this and didn't have a clear reason at the time between A and C.

[ManhattanPrepLSAT1]

The answer to your question about having the relationship mixed up in answer choice (C) is yes.

To your second question about being stuck between answer choices (A) and (C). Next time, rather than trying to justify one, try to eliminate one. That should make you more accurate. Good luck!

[unmrkny]

Although (A) is correct in that it covers the entire passage by stating, "a range of textual evidence (2,3,4 paragraph) indicating.." it still seems not grasping the overall idea because of this part, "women doctors were an accepted part of everyday life in ancient Greece and Rome". Are we supposed to understand, "an accepted part of everyday life", as if its saying "the proof of their (women doctors) existence?" It is doubtful that the passage actually talks about whether their existence was accepted or not.

I see why the word "infer" renders (C) to be eliminated, but in fact it seems to me that the passage actually makes inferences throughout. it doesn't infer the existence of female doctors but it infers that their existence wasn't really recognized. The paragraph 2 and 4 indicate this even if female doctors actually performed general medical practices as stated in p3.

In my opinion, (A) correctly identifies the structure but still falls short in summarizing the content. I guess my question is whether this approach is correct. It seems to me that there is no correct answer that perfectly phrases the main point.

Thank you in advance!

[unmrkny]

And I'm just wondering..why my joined date is in 1969? lol since I just joined this month...

[megm7267]

My first instinct with this question was answer choice A. I then crossed it out and chose C because the wording of A didn't seem to fit with the main idea of the passage:

"There is a range of textual evidence..."

I thought the passage made it clear that there was in fact little evidence - "surviving sources...fragmentary...scattered...very nature of the scant evidence."

I just don't see how A completely works in this case. Could I have more clarification please?

[ManhattanPrepLSAT1]

Notice that right after the passage gets done stating how fragmentary and scattered the references are (lines 2-4) the passage then goes on to say that from these fragments we can piece together a picture and that the "evidence shows that in Greece and Rome there were, in fact, female medical personnel." (lines 5-8)

The passage is not trying to say that there is very little evidence, but rather that from the little evidence we do have, there is a clear picture that develops.

Answer choice (A) does not attempt to say that there is a significant amount of evidence. The word "range" in answer choice (A) implies that the evidence is coming from many sources and the passage backs that up by finding evidence in many places, even though it is limited evidence.

Does that answer your question?

[mlbrandow]

To me, the reason (C) is wrong isn't because of the "important inferences can be drawn" part, but rather the "pointedly comment" part.

The purpose of this passage is that we can infer that women doctors were (to quote (A)) "an accepted part of everyday life in Greece and Rome." The fact that they weren't pointedly commented on in those texts is the revealing part. (C) says exactly the opposite.

"The very nature of the scant evidence tells us something." (17-18)

"...women doctors were an unremarkable part of ancient life." (22-23)

"...[many] ancient writers of encyclopedic medical works quote the opinions and descriptions of male and female doctors indiscriminantly..." (52-54)

"...these works simply give excerpts... without biographical information or special comment." (56-58)

[matthew.mainen]

With respect to answer choice (C), to what extent can we infer that the inferences alleged are in reference to biographical or technical data rather than broad inferences?