The group opposing the smallpox vaccine included which of the following?

• A. Scientists and Physicians
• B. Church and Variolators
• C. Politicians and Journalists
• D. Farmers and Merchants

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is understanding why some groups opposed early vaccination. When Jenner introduced the smallpox vaccine, it challenged the established practice of variolation—inoculating with smallpox material—which many practitioners depended on for their income. Those who performed variolation saw vaccination as a threat to their trade, so they actively campaigned against it. At the same time, the Church sometimes raised religious or moral objections to vaccination, questioning whether it was appropriate to interfere with God’s will or natural processes. Put together, these concerns—economic stakes for variolators and religious/moral doubts from the Church—made this pairing the notable source of opposition to the vaccine. The other groups listed did not form the same kind of organized, influential opposition in the early stages of vaccination.