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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How far was the house in Cold Spring from Manhattan where Paul visited friends in the Prologue?

2. For glioblastoma, what percent of patients were alive two years after surgery?

3. In Part 1, Section 3, what type of cancer did Paul's colleague V have?

4. What was Paul's mother trained to be?

5. In Part 1, Section 3, how many hours were residents working a week?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Paul's father move his family to Arizona?

2. What did Paul believe setting aside literature would do for him?

3. What were some of the first symptoms Paul had experienced?

4. Who was Shep Nuland?

5. What did Paul's mother fear the most in Arizona?

6. In Part 1, Section 3, who was the first patient Paul lost, and how did she die?

7. What was Paul's educational journey?

8. What hours did residents work according to Paul in Part 1, Section 3?

9. What two jobs did Paul apply for during his sophomore summer?

10. Why did Lucy, Paul's girlfriend in Part 1, Section 2, cry when she viewed an EKG while studying at Paul's apartment?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The title of the book was "When Breath Becomes Air." What does that title mean and how did Paul's breath become air?

Essay Topic 2

The last section of the book is title "Cease Not till Death." In what ways did Paul not quit living during his illness? Why was it important for him to keep living and hoping until his last breath?

Essay Topic 3

Paul's life was shaped by events and people from his childhood. What were the main events and people that shaped who Paul became and how did those events and people shape his life? What was the strongest influence and why?

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