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HiThere's the sentence: Similarly, a scholar has estimated that in nineteenth centuryChina, in some districts as many as a quarter of the female infants were killed atbirth.--- Does the "quarter" here mean every fourth child?

Delmobile · Accepted Answer

Well, it means a fourth of the total. It's not like they would let three girls live and then kill the fourth.

Not a very pleasant thing to contemplate either way. I'm going to go hug my daughter now

Newguest · Answer

DelmobileWell, it means a fourth of the total. It's not like they would let three girls live and then kill the fourth.

So it says, for example: there is one boy, next there is a girl, next a boy and again a girl and then they killed that last one just because it was a girl? I wonder if they would do the same if the fourth one was a boy and not a girl?

RayH · Answer

NewguestSo it says, for example: there is one boy, next there is a girl, next a boy and again a girl and then they killed that last one just because it was a girl? I wonder if they would do the same if the fourth one was a boy and not a girl?

The author states clearly that he talking one fourth of girls, not one fourth of all newborns. Anyway, you can't look at statistics like this on a family by family basis. You need to understand that it is talking about the population as a whole and even then the author is careful to point out that he is talking about "some districts." So, as horrific as it is, the statistic only applies to those districts that it applies to, as it were, not to the population of the entire country.

Delmobile · Answer

No no no, that's what it DOESN'T say. It's saying that, in some districts, out of the total number of girl babies born in the nineteenth century, one-fourth of that number were killed at birth.

I don't think you should express this as "every fourth girl" because that almost sounds like people were killing girl infants systematically - allowing three to be born, then killing the fourth.

"When the students lined up for gym class, Mrs. Smith marked every fourth student with a green sticker. These lucky students were told to follow her to the school's new air-conditioned gym for a dance class. The other students glumly trooped onto the soccer field for a game in the hot August sun."

"The first day Mary's store opened, she sold one-fourth of her stock of chocolate bars. It was clear that she would have to place an order for more chocolate."

Newguest · Answer

I think I understand now. Thanks.

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