Reading Comprehension

In April 1841, medical missionary Reverend Peter Parker, M.D., addressed an enthusiastic audience gathered at a special meeting of the Boston Medical Association. His subject was "the condition and prospects of the hospitals of China." He described his own work at the hospital he had established in the foreign factory district outside the city walls of Canton where he offered free treatment for both rich and poor. At P'u Ai I Yuan (Hospital of Universal Love, as it was known in Chinese) Parker and his colleagues used western surgical techniques as a means to facilitate religious conversion. Medicine, Parker believed, could be the "handmaid of religious truth," and he held regular religious services for his patients.
While he had, at best, modest success attracting converts to Christianity, the hospital had fostered tremendous goodwill among the Chinese. It was a bright spot amid the gloomy period of Western-Chinese tension that led to the outbreak of the Opium Wars between Great Britain and China. Forced to flee Canton because of these rising hostilities, Parker returned to the United States to raise money and interest in his operations. In the spring of 1841, he spoke to many religious societies, a few medical bodies, and even the United States Congress, where he preached to members of the House and Senate and lobbied legislators on the need for diplomatic relations with China.
In his talks, Parker described the state of medical and surgical knowledge--or, rather, scientific ignorance--in China. Despite the surgical feats of legendary ancient doctors such as Hua T'o of the third century A.D., surgery did not develop to any great extent in China. Some accounts attribute this to Confucian precepts about the integrity of the body and proscriptions against any form of mutilation or dismemberment; others emphasize the pharmacological tendencies within traditional Chinese medicine and a preference for moxas and other caustic plasters.
Whatever the cause, it was undoubtedly the case that Parker's surgical practice tapped into a huge unmet need. Almost as soon as he opened his Ophthalmic Hospital in Canton, as it was known in English, he acquired a reputation as a surgeon of such skill that the hospital quickly became a general hospital. Parker and his small staff handled thousands of cases each year, treating more than fifty thousand cases by the 1850s. His hospital became the model for other medical missions, and Parker and his British colleagues formed the Medical Missionary Society of China to coordinate the efforts of all the western hospitals springing up in the trading ports of Asia. Parker earned his reputation performing operations to remove tumors and cataracts--forms of surgery with relatively good odds of success and ones that could be accomplished quickly, important in an era without anesthetics. Because of the absence of surgery in China, a large number of patients were afflicted with mature tumors (typically five to thirty-five years old) of a size seldom seen in Europe or the United States. Parker was able to help these patients in ways previously thought impossible in China. He has thus been credited with bringing Western medicine to the most populous country on Earth.

According to the passage, all of the following are true of Peter Parker EXCEPT
He was skilled as a surgeon.
He believed that the poor deserved quality medical treatment.
He felt disdain for the medical practices of nineteenth century China.
He lobbied intensely to bring Western medical knowledge to China.
He did not achieve his missionary goals in China.

IMO C

According to Parker 19th century chinese medical practices were not advanced,but he didnt show any "disdain" feeling towards it.

IMO -- D

Answer should be D - I see him bringing western practices to China, but I see no lobbying to do so, but rather lobbying towards establishing political contracts with China. In fact, our friend Parker wasn't there just to give free surgery - even he was there as a missionary, with medicine only acting as the "handmaiden of religious truth".

the other facts are mentioned:
A is obviously there - he performed surgery.
B His belief that the poor deseerved treatment lies in his actions - his hospital catered to both rich and poor equally.
C 'Disdain' is not normally a good word for an RC answer choice, but in this case Parker does talk about the scientific ignorance in China.
E he had only a modest success attracting converts.

OA is C.
Here is the explaination
(A) In the last paragraph, the passage states that Parker "acquired a reputation as a surgeon of such skill that the hospital quickly became a general hospital."

(B) In the first paragraph, the passage states that Parker "offered free treatment for both rich and poor," so he must have believe that all deserved quality medical treatment.

(C) CORRECT. While Parker did not feel that that nineteenth century Chinese medical practices were advanced, the passage never mentions an emotion similar to "disdain" in describing Parker's feelings towards these practices. - <Parker always felt that medical practices in china in 19th centuary are not good. he stressed on the need of modernization of 19th centuary chinese medicine. i agree that disdain is extreme word> ????

(D) In the second paragraph, the passage states that Parker "returned to the United States to raise money and interest in his operations." Additionally, Parker "and his British colleagues formed the Medical Missionary Society of China to coordinate the efforts of all the western hospitals springing up in the trading ports of Asia."

(E) The second paragraph opens with the statement that Parker "had, at best, modest success attracting converts to Christianity," suggesting that he did not completely achieve his missionary goals. <it is clearly stated that he has modest success so how we can say that he didn't acheive his missinary goals. Atleast he partially achieved it . Dont you think "completely" is missing. "He did not completely achieve his missionary goals in China."

When the passage is long, except question becomes very hard because we have to remember and reread many lines. But in gmatprep passages, I do not see long passages together with except question.

I believe the answer is D, because although it has been mentioned that he was successful in bring Western medicine to China, nowhere is it mentioned that he "lobbied intensely".