Hippocratic Oath

A free, expert breakdown of this official LSAT Reading Comprehension question.

TopicsOrganizationHumanities

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Passage

The moral precepts embodied 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. Until very recently the promises expressed in that oath—for example to act physicians in ancient Greece and that for centuries it was not uniformly accepted by medical practitioners.

This historical issue may be dismissed at the outset as irrelevant to the oath’s current appropriateness. Regardless of the specific origin of its text—which, admittedly, is at best uncertain—those in each generation who critically appraise its content and judge it to express valid principles of medical ethics become, in a more meaningful within the confines of one’s expertise, which remains a necessary safeguard for patients’ safety and well-being.

What this question is testing

Organization

Your task

Pin down exactly what the question asks about the passage — a detail, the author's view, the structure, or the main point — before looking at the choices.

Common trap

Answers that restate a true detail from the passage but don't answer the specific question being asked.

Winning move

Anticipate the answer in your own words from the passage, then find the choice that matches that prediction.

Reading along? Open the full official question in LawHub — we show a fragment here and keep the reasoning in our own words.

The question

Which one of the following most accurately describes the organization of the material presented

Answer choices

Bad Final Ingredient16% picked this
A general principle is described, criticisms of the principle are made, and modifications of the principle are made
Can we say that the final chunk, where the author says that "We need to keep the core value of beneficence, but it's okay if the reformers want to modify some of the peripheral parts of the Oath" is a good match for modifications of the principle are made in light of these criticisms? No. The author is saying that she is tolerant of modifications being made to peripheral parts of the Hippocratic Oath, but the author herself doesn't make any modifications. It also seems a weird stretch to call the Hippocratic Oath "a general principle". The oath is full of general principles, sure, but is it right to call the whole oath one principle?
16%
Bad Final Ingredient2% picked this
A set of criticisms is put forward, and possible replies to those criticisms are
In the final chunk, the author says that "We need to keep the core value of beneficence, but it's okay if the reformers want to modify some of the peripheral parts of the Oath". Is that a good match for criticisms are considered and dismissed? No. The author isn't dismissing their substantive criticisms. She dismisses the historical issue at the beginning of the 2nd paragraph (because who cares who actually wrote the Oath? we only care whether having physicians take the Oath seems like it's still a good idea). But the author understands that parts of the Oath are out of date and she is amenable to "adaptations at the oath's periphery". So it's way too strong to say that she dismisses all criticisms.
2%
Bad Final Ingredient9% picked this
The history of a certain code of conduct is discussed, criticisms of the code are mentioned and partially endorsed, and the code
In the final chunk, the author says that "We need to keep the core value of beneficence, but it's okay if the reformers want to modify some of the peripheral parts of the Oath". Is that a good match for the code is modified as a response? No. The author is okay with the fact that reformers want to modify some outdated parts of the Oath (as long as they occur at the periphery). She's just adamant that we keep the core value the same. But the author herself doesn't modify the Hippocratic Oath.
9%
Bad Final Ingredient2% picked this
A general principle is formulated, a partial defense of that principle is presented, and criticisms of the principle
In the final chunk, the author says that "We need to keep the core value of beneficence, but it's okay if the reformers want to modify some of the peripheral parts of the Oath". Is that a good match for criticisms are discussed and rejected? No. Just like (C), that's too strong. The author rejects the irrelevant historical issue of who wrote the oath originally, but the author understands that parts of the Oath are out of date and she is amenable to "adaptations at the oath's periphery". So it's way too strong to say that she rejects all criticisms.
2%
Correct71% picked this
The tradition surrounding a certain code of conduct is discussed, criticisms of that code are mentioned, and a general defense
Why this is right
In the final chunk, the author says that "We need to keep the core value of beneficence, but it's okay if the reformers want to modify some of the peripheral parts of the Oath". Is that a good match for a general defense of the code is presented? Sure. Since the author is saying, "Keep the essence the same, but feel free to tinker with peripheral stuff", she providing a general defense, not an absolute or total defense. Since this last ingredient seems to work, let's verify that the rest does. tradition surrounding a code of conduct is discussed Yes, that matches the first two sentences of the passage. criticisms of that code are mentioned that matches the rest of the first paragraph a general defense of the code is presented that basically matches the entire second paragraph
Skill tested: Organization · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.
71%

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