Question
Passage 2: Elizabeth Blackwell, Doctor
by Barbara Krasner
(1)Born in England, Elizabeth Blackwell (1821–1910) came with her family to settle in Ohio when she was 11 years old. Her father was an abolitionist. He also believed in women’s rights and encouraged Elizabeth to take up whatever career she wanted. At first, Elizabeth had no interest in becoming a doctor. She wanted nothing to do with the study of the body. She preferred history, so she became a teacher.
(2)Then, a close friend who was dying told Blackwell that she had been too embarrassed to seek treatment from a male doctor. The friend might have been helped if there were women doctors. That got Blackwell thinking. She decided to overcome her fears and become a doctor.
(3)In the mid-1840s, however, medical schools did not admit women. Blackwell applied to more than two dozen medical schools. She hoped that one of them would give her the opportunity she needed. She had to study on her own to prepare. She was rejected from every school—except Geneva Medical College in upstate New York.
(4)The 150 male students at Geneva were asked to vote on whether to accept Blackwell. Thinking the idea of a woman doctor was just a joke, they voted her in. But it was no joke to Blackwell. She faced hostility from students at school and people in town. She put up with crude remarks by her male classmates. She dealt with professors who were reluctant to teach her subjects that they thought were not suitable for women. When a professor asked her to step out of the room so he could lecture, she refused. Slowly, she earned the respect of her teachers and her classmates.
(5)To gain practical experience, Blackwell spent her summers at the Blockley Almshouse in Philadelphia. She met with prejudice there, too. Male patients did not want her to examine them. Her colleagues seemed to dislike her purely based on her gender. Still, she refused to be stopped. In fact, she became a leader in treating typhus. The disease became the subject of her doctoral thesis.
(6)In 1849, Blackwell graduated at the top of her class from Geneva Medical School. After graduation, she continued her studies in Europe. First, she worked in a Paris maternity hospital where she became a skilled obstetrician. After treating a baby with an infection, she caught the infection and lost the sight in her left eye. Despite the disability, she continued her studies at a hospital in London.
(7)Armed with valuable experience, Blackwell returned to the United States. In 1851, she opened a practice for the poor in New York City. At first, she did not attract many patients because people were not used to women doctors. Soon, she expanded her practice to form the New York Infirmary for Women and Children in 1857. Treating women and children seemed a more acceptable approach. Blackwell’s younger sister, Emily, joined the new practice. Emily was the third woman in the United States to earn her medical degree.
(8)Blackwell fought not only for women in medicine, but also for social reform, family planning, hygiene, and other causes. She opened a medical college in New York City in 1868. In the mid-1870s, she returned to England. She helped start the London School of Medicine for Women. She died in London in 1910 after sustaining injuries from a bad fall. During her life, Blackwell wrote important books that paved the way for women in medicine. The titles included Medicine as a Profession for Women (1860), Address on the Medical Education of Women (1864), and Pioneer Work in Opening the Medical Profession to Women (1895).
This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B.
Part A
What is the key idea of Passage 2?
Group of answer choices
Elizabeth Blackwell always wanted to become a doctor.
Elizabeth Blackwell had to travel to continue her medical studies.
Elizabeth Blackwell rarely met supportive teachers at medical school.
Elizabeth Blackwell had to overcome prejudice to become a doctor.
by Barbara Krasner
(1)Born in England, Elizabeth Blackwell (1821–1910) came with her family to settle in Ohio when she was 11 years old. Her father was an abolitionist. He also believed in women’s rights and encouraged Elizabeth to take up whatever career she wanted. At first, Elizabeth had no interest in becoming a doctor. She wanted nothing to do with the study of the body. She preferred history, so she became a teacher.
(2)Then, a close friend who was dying told Blackwell that she had been too embarrassed to seek treatment from a male doctor. The friend might have been helped if there were women doctors. That got Blackwell thinking. She decided to overcome her fears and become a doctor.
(3)In the mid-1840s, however, medical schools did not admit women. Blackwell applied to more than two dozen medical schools. She hoped that one of them would give her the opportunity she needed. She had to study on her own to prepare. She was rejected from every school—except Geneva Medical College in upstate New York.
(4)The 150 male students at Geneva were asked to vote on whether to accept Blackwell. Thinking the idea of a woman doctor was just a joke, they voted her in. But it was no joke to Blackwell. She faced hostility from students at school and people in town. She put up with crude remarks by her male classmates. She dealt with professors who were reluctant to teach her subjects that they thought were not suitable for women. When a professor asked her to step out of the room so he could lecture, she refused. Slowly, she earned the respect of her teachers and her classmates.
(5)To gain practical experience, Blackwell spent her summers at the Blockley Almshouse in Philadelphia. She met with prejudice there, too. Male patients did not want her to examine them. Her colleagues seemed to dislike her purely based on her gender. Still, she refused to be stopped. In fact, she became a leader in treating typhus. The disease became the subject of her doctoral thesis.
(6)In 1849, Blackwell graduated at the top of her class from Geneva Medical School. After graduation, she continued her studies in Europe. First, she worked in a Paris maternity hospital where she became a skilled obstetrician. After treating a baby with an infection, she caught the infection and lost the sight in her left eye. Despite the disability, she continued her studies at a hospital in London.
(7)Armed with valuable experience, Blackwell returned to the United States. In 1851, she opened a practice for the poor in New York City. At first, she did not attract many patients because people were not used to women doctors. Soon, she expanded her practice to form the New York Infirmary for Women and Children in 1857. Treating women and children seemed a more acceptable approach. Blackwell’s younger sister, Emily, joined the new practice. Emily was the third woman in the United States to earn her medical degree.
(8)Blackwell fought not only for women in medicine, but also for social reform, family planning, hygiene, and other causes. She opened a medical college in New York City in 1868. In the mid-1870s, she returned to England. She helped start the London School of Medicine for Women. She died in London in 1910 after sustaining injuries from a bad fall. During her life, Blackwell wrote important books that paved the way for women in medicine. The titles included Medicine as a Profession for Women (1860), Address on the Medical Education of Women (1864), and Pioneer Work in Opening the Medical Profession to Women (1895).
This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B.
Part A
What is the key idea of Passage 2?
Group of answer choices
Elizabeth Blackwell always wanted to become a doctor.
Elizabeth Blackwell had to travel to continue her medical studies.
Elizabeth Blackwell rarely met supportive teachers at medical school.
Elizabeth Blackwell had to overcome prejudice to become a doctor.
Answers
Answered by
GPT-4o mini
Part A
The key idea of Passage 2 is:
**Elizabeth Blackwell had to overcome prejudice to become a doctor.**
This option captures the essence of Blackwell's struggle against the significant societal and institutional barriers she faced as a woman pursuing a career in medicine.
The key idea of Passage 2 is:
**Elizabeth Blackwell had to overcome prejudice to become a doctor.**
This option captures the essence of Blackwell's struggle against the significant societal and institutional barriers she faced as a woman pursuing a career in medicine.
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