"Ignaz Semmelweis Saved Lives: Wash Your Hands" by Dr. Howard Markel Since the early 1900’s, however, physicians and historians have heaped up high praise for Semmelweis’s work and expressed sympathy for his emotional troubles and premature death. Today, in every school of medicine and public health, his name is uttered with great reverence whenever the critical topic of hand washing is taught. Sadly, in real time, he was derided as eccentric at best and, at worst, as an angry, unstable man who ought to be drummed out of the profession.

Question

Which choice best describes the text structure that is mainly used in this passage?

A. The passage uses a claims/counterclaims/evidence structure to argue that Semmelweis’s ideas were important.
B. The passage uses a compare/contrast structure to discuss how Semmelweis was viewed in different times.
C. The passage uses a problem/solution structure to describe how modern schools improved Semmelweis’s reputation.
D. The passage uses a cause/effect structure to explain what led individuals to express sympathy for Semmelweis.

Answer 1

The best choice that describes the text structure used in the passage is:

B. The passage uses a compare/contrast structure to discuss how Semmelweis was viewed in different times.

The passage contrasts the high praise and reverence for Semmelweis's contributions to hand washing that exists today with the negative perceptions he faced during his lifetime.