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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. When the father and his son rescued Sacks, what had they been doing just a moment before?
2. What did Sacks find astonishing about his wound?
3. What instrument did Sacks have for listening to music?
4. How is the material in the last chapter presented?
5. What emotion did Sacks see several times on the unguarded face of the physiotherapist?
Short Essay Questions
1. To whom did Sacks dedicate the book A Leg to Stand On? Why might he have chosen this person?
2. How did Sacks move from the world of freedom into the world of the hospital? How might this have contributed to his thought that the operation on the following day would actually be an execution?
3. All of Chapter Five is devoted to the moment Sacks took his first step. What literary effect does this have on the book?
4. Sacks says that simply his ability to stand changed the world and his place in it. How did this happen?
5. What happened after Sacks tried to catch the bus outside the Kilburn pool? How did this exactly match his previous experiences?
6. How does Sacks think of his injury and recovery? Is this what you might have expected?
7. Sacks discovered, to his horror, that his mental and moral boundaries had shrunk to the limits of the hospital. What does this mean? How did this differ from his mindset before the accident?
8. While descending the mountain, what vision did Sacks cling to? Why do you think this was the picture he chose?
9. As Sacks began to regain freedom and move around the hospital, he frequently mentioned natural elements: the birds, sun, and wind. Given what you know of his personality, why are these things important?
10. While in the hospital, Sacks felt morally and physically prostrate before the doctor. How do you think this happened?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
How does Sacks use dialogue throughout the story? How is the dialogue divided among the people in his life? What are the varying tones of the dialogue? What does the use of dialogue contribute to the story?
Essay Topic 2
Note Dr. Swan's attitude toward Sacks's injury compared to Sacks's attitude. How do they differ? In Sacks's attitude toward his own injury, what are the elements of a physician? What are the elements of a patient? What does he think of Dr. Swan's professional opinion?
Essay Topic 3
Describe the world of the convalescent home. How did Sacks change and grow stronger here? What did he learn about himself? How did the convalescent home allow him to approach the world again?
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This section contains 1,673 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) |
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