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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In what way is Lou Sanders’ decision to move in with his daughter not successful?
(a) He is depressed and lonely.
(b) His care is taxing for Shelley.
(c) He cannot make friends.
(d) His care costs more than his family can afford.

2. How does Gawande characterize the “newest view” about why we age (32)?
(a) Aging is genetically programmed.
(b) Aging is environmentally determined.
(c) Aging is based on economic class.
(d) Aging is a sum of wear and tear.

3. What does Gawande say made Alice Hobson unhappy with her assisted living facility?
(a) The loss of autonomy.
(b) Being surrounded by old people.
(c) The smelly food.
(d) The rigid schedule.

4. What is Gawande’s relation to Alice Hobson?
(a) She is his old piano teacher.
(b) She is his wife’s grandmother.
(c) She is his adopted grandmother.
(d) She is his daughter’s piano teacher.

5. When were retirement communities popularized in the U.S.?
(a) 1980s.
(b) 1960s.
(c) 1970s.
(d) 1950s.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Gawande say modernization replaced the veneration of family with?

2. What does Gawande say Montaigne said about dying of old age?

3. When did Gawande’s father become a U.S. citizen?

4. How old was Alice Hobson when she was widowed?

5. What does Gawande say life expectancy was in the Roman Empire?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the triumph in the story of Felix and Bella Silverstone?

2. What is rectangularization, and how does it affect society?

3. How is the story of Lou and Shelly different from Alice Hobson's death?

4. What events led to Alice Hobson saying “I’m ready” to her son, and then dying?

5. What kind of conditions does Gawande witness at the Guru Vishram Vridh ashram in India?

6. Why does Gawande say doctors do not want to practice geriatrics?

7. Who was the first person Gawande says he personally witnessed get old and decline?

8. How does Gawande describe his exposure to training about mortality in medical school?

9. How does Gawande describe the development of this problem in medicine?

10. How does Gawande characterize the problems surrounding Alice Hobson’s declining health?

(see the answer keys)

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