African exploration in the late nineteenth century

[patanjali.purpose]

African exploration in the late nineteenth century is almost entirely a story of white males: scientists, traders and missionaries. Mary Henrietta Kingsley stands out as an exception.

Ostensibly, Kingsley planned her first trip to Africa so she could conduct research on fetishes and complete the academic treatise her father, an explorer, had begun. Privately, Kingsley told a friend she was traveling to Africa "to die," though she had dreamt of such an adventure since childhood. Nevertheless, she prepared for the trip carefully, interviewing friends, doctors, missionaries, and former explorers, all of whom advised her not to make the trek. Kingsley was undaunted and set off for West Africa carrying only £300, and chemicals and specimen cases designed to collect samples of unknown fish and insects for the British Museum.

Kingsley sailed the coast, finally putting in at the mouth of the Congo. Recognizing that the natives were naturally suspicious of Europeans traveling without an obvious purpose, Kingsley purchased cloth and other goods in the port and traveled inland for six months as a trader, exchanging goods for food and shelter along the way. During this and her second trip in 1895, Kingsley demonstrated resourcefulness in dealing with such challenges as rescuing a native from cannibals, defeating a leopard with a bucket of water, learning to pilot a native canoe up the Ogooue River, and becoming the first white woman and third "Englishman" to climb the 14,435 foot Mount Cameroon. Upon her return to London, Kingsley campaigned for an enlightened African policy, published her bookTravels in West Africa and advocated a forum for the serious ethnological study of Africa. Kingsley's third trip was to Cape Town during the 1900 Boer War. There she encountered an epidemic of dysentery, volunteered to nurse prisoners of war, contracted typhoid, and died.

1) Why does the author insert the anecdotes about Kinsley's travels in paragraph three?

a)to show that she was not afraid of wild beats
b)to compare the obstacles faced by female travellers with those faces by male explorers of the day
c)to entice you into reading Kinsey's best-selling book 'Travels in West Africa'
d)to emphasize the dangers Mary faced in her travels
e)to illustrate Kinsley's ability to conquer a variety of challenges

2) The author suggests that Kingsley may have gone to Africa for each of the following reasons EXCEPT:

a) to serve as an Anglican Missionary
b) to complete her father's fetish research
c) to fulfil a childhood dream
d) to collect specimens of fish and insects for the British Musem
e) to die

Pls explain your pick

[Geva@EconomistGMAT]

African exploration in the late nineteenth century is almost entirely a story of white males: scientists, traders and missionaries. Mary Henrietta Kingsley stands out as an exception.

Ostensibly, Kingsley planned her first trip to Africa so she could conduct research on fetishes and complete the academic treatise her father, an explorer, had begun. Privately, Kingsley told a friend she was traveling to Africa "to die," though she had dreamt of such an adventure since childhood. Nevertheless, she prepared for the trip carefully, interviewing friends, doctors, missionaries, and former explorers, all of whom advised her not to make the trek. Kingsley was undaunted and set off for West Africa carrying only £300, and chemicals and specimen cases designed to collect samples of unknown fish and insects for the British Museum.

Kingsley sailed the coast, finally putting in at the mouth of the Congo. Recognizing that the natives were naturally suspicious of Europeans traveling without an obvious purpose, Kingsley purchased cloth and other goods in the port and traveled inland for six months as a trader, exchanging goods for food and shelter along the way. During this and her second trip in 1895, Kingsley demonstrated resourcefulness in dealing with such challenges as rescuing a native from cannibals, defeating a leopard with a bucket of water, learning to pilot a native canoe up the Ogooue River, and becoming the first white woman and third "Englishman" to climb the 14,435 foot Mount Cameroon. Upon her return to London, Kingsley campaigned for an enlightened African policy, published her bookTravels in West Africa and advocated a forum for the serious ethnological study of Africa. Kingsley's third trip was to Cape Town during the 1900 Boer War. There she encountered an epidemic of dysentery, volunteered to nurse prisoners of war, contracted typhoid, and died.

1) Why does the author insert the anecdotes about Kinsley's travels in paragraph three?

a)to show that she was not afraid of wild beats
b)to compare the obstacles faced by female travellers with those faces by male explorers of the day
c)to entice you into reading Kinsey's best-selling book 'Travels in West Africa'
d)to emphasize the dangers Mary faced in her travels
e)to illustrate Kinsley's ability to conquer a variety of challenges

Probably E, though not as straightforward as I've come to expect of real GMAT questions. The only sentence in the paragraph that hints at the purpose of the third paragraph (other than to list her achievements) is the third sentence "Kingsley demonstrated resourcefulness in dealing with such challenges as..", which then proceeds to illustrate several different challenges she overcame. D is also a good contender, and I cannot honestly say that I found a way to eliminate it, but I would probably choose E. Not a very good question - the answer should be better supported in the text.

2) The author suggests that Kingsley may have gone to Africa for each of the following reasons EXCEPT:

a) to serve as an Anglican Missionary
b) to complete her father's fetish research
c) to fulfil a childhood dream
d) to collect specimens of fish and insects for the British Musem
e) to die

This one is straightforward. B, C, D and E are all mentioned in the seconf paragraph, which deals with the reasons Kingsley went to Africa. A is the only one not mentioned there, but mentioned in the first paragraph about male explorers. Thus A is NOT a reason why Kinglsey may have gone to Africa, and is therefore the right answer to this EXCEPT question.
Pls explain your pick

[anujan007]

1. E -- I think this choice can be selected basis the point that she is mentioned as the exception. The African exploration could have been dominated by white males possibly coz fewer / none of the females traveled to Africa for exploration due to the adversities and challenged involved in Africa. The anecdotes establish the challenges that were possibly faced by the explorers to Africa. The fact that she conquered them makes her an exception.

2. A -- All others have been mentioned in the passage. Hence this is the exception.

[patanjali.purpose]

African exploration in the late nineteenth century is almost entirely a story of white males: scientists, traders and missionaries. Mary Henrietta Kingsley stands out as an exception.

Ostensibly, Kingsley planned her first trip to Africa so she could conduct research on fetishes and complete the academic treatise her father, an explorer, had begun. Privately, Kingsley told a friend she was traveling to Africa "to die," though she had dreamt of such an adventure since childhood. Nevertheless, she prepared for the trip carefully, interviewing friends, doctors, missionaries, and former explorers, all of whom advised her not to make the trek. Kingsley was undaunted and set off for West Africa carrying only £300, and chemicals and specimen cases designed to collect samples of unknown fish and insects for the British Museum.

Kingsley sailed the coast, finally putting in at the mouth of the Congo. Recognizing that the natives were naturally suspicious of Europeans traveling without an obvious purpose, Kingsley purchased cloth and other goods in the port and traveled inland for six months as a trader, exchanging goods for food and shelter along the way. During this and her second trip in 1895, Kingsley demonstrated resourcefulness in dealing with such challenges as rescuing a native from cannibals, defeating a leopard with a bucket of water, learning to pilot a native canoe up the Ogooue River, and becoming the first white woman and third "Englishman" to climb the 14,435 foot Mount Cameroon. Upon her return to London, Kingsley campaigned for an enlightened African policy, published her bookTravels in West Africa and advocated a forum for the serious ethnological study of Africa. Kingsley's third trip was to Cape Town during the 1900 Boer War. There she encountered an epidemic of dysentery, volunteered to nurse prisoners of war, contracted typhoid, and died.

1) Why does the author insert the anecdotes about Kinsley's travels in paragraph three?

a)to show that she was not afraid of wild beats
b)to compare the obstacles faced by female travellers with those faces by male explorers of the day
c)to entice you into reading Kinsey's best-selling book 'Travels in West Africa'
d)to emphasize the dangers Mary faced in her travels
e)to illustrate Kinsley's ability to conquer a variety of challenges

Probably E, though not as straightforward as I've come to expect of real GMAT questions. The only sentence in the paragraph that hints at the purpose of the third paragraph (other than to list her achievements) is the third sentence "Kingsley demonstrated resourcefulness in dealing with such challenges as..", which then proceeds to illustrate several different challenges she overcame. D is also a good contender, and I cannot honestly say that I found a way to eliminate it, but I would probably choose E. Not a very good question - the answer should be better supported in the text.

2) The author suggests that Kingsley may have gone to Africa for each of the following reasons EXCEPT:

a) to serve as an Anglican Missionary
b) to complete her father's fetish research
c) to fulfil a childhood dream
d) to collect specimens of fish and insects for the British Musem
e) to die

This one is straightforward. B, C, D and E are all mentioned in the seconf paragraph, which deals with the reasons Kingsley went to Africa. A is the only one not mentioned there, but mentioned in the first paragraph about male explorers. Thus A is NOT a reason why Kinglsey may have gone to Africa, and is therefore the right answer to this EXCEPT question.
Pls explain your pick

Thanks. I enjoy the simplicity of your responses.

Q 1 - fully agree with your point of view. I also could not find a reason to drop D, but using the sentence you mentioned I opted for E (correct answer)

Q2 - I am confused with E. Author says 'Kingsley told a friend she was traveling to Africa "to die," though she had dreamt of such an adventure since childhood'. From this sentence (esp the contract indicator THOUGH) I infered - Kinsley though mentioned she is going to Africa to die, she had other reasons to travel to Afrtica. Do not you think 'to die' is NOT a possibility from above sentence. Pls correct me.

[spoiler]OA: E, A[/spoiler]

[Geva@EconomistGMAT]

1) The two reasons could coexist - Kingsley could dream of such an adventure for all of her adult life, but at the end of the road she really wants to there to die.

2) Whoever wrote the question covered his or her rear end with the phrasing "may" - indicating that he's looking for potential reasons listed in the passage, not necessarily for the actual reason.

3) In any case, anglican missionary is not mentioned anywhere in the passage, so it is clearly the right answer. There's no reason to talk yourself into choosing a wrong answer just because you think a question is more clever than it is. If E is the answer, how do you eliminate A?

[patanjali.purpose]

1) The two reasons could coexist - Kingsley could dream of such an adventure for all of her adult life, but at the end of the road she really wants to there to die.

2) Whoever wrote the question covered his or her rear end with the phrasing "may" - indicating that he's looking for potential reasons listed in the passage, not necessarily for the actual reason.

3) In any case, anglican missionary is not mentioned anywhere in the passage, so it is clearly the right answer. There's no reason to talk yourself into choosing a wrong answer just because you think a question is more clever than it is. If E is the answer, how do you eliminate A?

Thanks. I understand it better now.