Right away, we can tell that E and C are stronger answer choices than A as the passage opens by discussing the Hippocratic oath and criticisms of it. The Hippocratic oath is not a general principle; rather, it is a code of conduct, as identified in Lines 1 to 6: "The moral precepts in the Hippocratic oath, which physicians standardly affirm upon beginning medical practice, have long been considered the immutable bedrock of medical ethics, binding physicians in a moral community that reaches across temporal, cultural, and national barriers." As the Hippocratic oath contains multiple moral precepts which are affirmed by physicians, we can tell that it is a code of conduct as opposed to a general principle even without any prior knowledge of what the Hippocratic oath is.
Secondly, criticisms of the Hippocratic oath are not made by the author of the passage; rather, criticisms that have been made by others are presented in the passage.
Finally, the last section of answer choice A does not mirror the final section of the passage. The author does not propose modifications to the Hippocratic oath. Instead, they dismiss the concerns regarding the oath's origins and authorship, arguing that the oath is continually written by those who critically appraise its content and judge it to express valid principles of medical ethics. The author then argues that the code is essential in assuring patients that physicians will pursue appropriate medical goals under generally accepted standards of professionalism. While the author does suggest that there should be adaptations at the oath's periphery, they point out that there is already a tradition of peripheral reinterpretation of the traditional wording. In this way, the author is defending the Hippocratic oath.
From our analysis of the passage, we can see that the author begins by presenting the Hippocratic oath, then presents criticisms that have been made by others, and ends with defending the origins, authorship, purpose, and continual reinterpretation of the Hippocratic oath. This organization is mirrored by answer choice E, making it the correct answer.
Hope this is helpful! Please let us know if you have any further questions.
Gabby_teixeiraon March 30, 2020
Hi, a passage such as this one with more than one viewpoints would be really helpful to have an example of notes that one would take to be able to answer questions quickly and correctly. I posted this on another message board, but haven't gotten any replies yet.
Thanks!
Victoriaon September 21, 2020
Hi @Gabby_teixeira,
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