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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What did Sacks find astonishing about his wound?
(a) The inability of his doctors to understand him.
(b) The complexity of effects he experienced during recovery.
(c) The long recovery time.
(d) The pain he felt during his whole recovery.

2. What would happen if Sacks were not found by nightfall?
(a) The bull would trample him to death.
(b) He would die of blood loss.
(c) He would freeze to death.
(d) He would most likely go crazy.

3. What language was the sign "BEWARE OF THE BULL!" written in?
(a) German.
(b) English.
(c) French.
(d) Norwegian.

4. To what poor instrument did Sacks compare his injured leg?
(a) The dented clarinet he had as a child.
(b) The broken saxophone he had kept since childhood.
(c) The cracked cello in his living room.
(d) The smashed violin he had as a child.

5. What did Sacks think when he woke from the surgery?
(a) That he had been asleep only a few minutes.
(b) That he had been asleep for seven hours.
(c) That he had been asleep for nearly a day.
(d) That he was tired and wanted to sleep.

6. The night before the operation, Sacks called up his family and friends. What did he tell them could happen if he were to die during the operation?
(a) They could publish anything from his notebooks that they saw fit.
(b) His property should be divided fairly among his family.
(c) His property should be auctioned off.
(d) His valuable property should be donated to charity.

7. What did Sacks hope to see when he reached the mountain's summit?
(a) A good view of the surrounding mountains.
(b) A good view of the city.
(c) The bull that lived there.
(d) The temple at the top.

8. Why did the staff nurse laugh at Sacks when he arrived in his room?
(a) Because he told her a bawdy joke.
(b) Because he had difficulty walking.
(c) Because he had packed fifty books and almost no clothes.
(d) Because he was joking about his cast.

9. What analogy does Sacks use to describe his left leg's failure during therapy?
(a) A flat pasture with lazy cows.
(b) A cliff with an impossibly smooth face.
(c) A city with deserted streets.
(d) A car with an empty gas tank.

10. What time of day did Sacks awake from his feverish delirium?
(a) Near midnight.
(b) Late afternoon.
(c) Early morning.
(d) Evening.

11. What book does Sacks model his own book after?
(a) The Man with the Shattered World.
(b) The Woman with the Shattered Dreams.
(c) The Man in the Shattered Hope.
(d) The Man with the Shattered Arm.

12. What vital support did the surgeon take away when he dismissed Sacks's concerns?
(a) Professional support.
(b) Empathy.
(c) A listening ear.
(d) Human support.

13. Since his accident, what has Sacks been aware of?
(a) The wonder and horror which lie just behind life.
(b) The wonder and horror which are an everyday part of life.
(c) The shallowness of everyday life.
(d) The shallowness of human experience.

14. As Sacks notes at the beginning of the Acknowledgments, what has he done since his injury?
(a) Written two other books about medical phenomena.
(b) Investigated current neuropsychological practice.
(c) Strengthened his legs so he could hike again.
(d) Interviewed hundreds of similar patients.

15. To what did Sacks's various thoughts and themes eventually lead in the end?
(a) A deeper understanding of the patient-doctor relationship.
(b) A critique of modern neurological medicine.
(c) A reaffirmation of modern neurological medicin.
(d) A personal, religious faith.

Short Answer Questions

1. Following the surgery, how did Sacks's cast fit his leg?

2. The night after his surgery, what was the first of Sacks's nightmares?

3. How long had Sacks been traveling when he came to the swollen stream?

4. When Nurse Solveig returned to take out Sacks's thermometer, what emotion did she convey?

5. How is the material in the last chapter presented?

(see the answer keys)

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