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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. What does Hazel want to avoid at the end of Chapter 11?

2. What does Mary try to procure for Armando?

3. Where does Teresa often see the Sparks?

4. What does Sally do after leaving Hermann?

5. Who founded Hermann Hospital?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happened to Javier after he quit Hermann?

2. What happens to Claire and Kenny Sparks in Chapter 21?

3. Why did the courts revise Hermann's will after his death?

4. What is Hermann Hospital's financial situation?

5. What is Armando's condition, as described in the Epilogue?

6. How does Hermann fit in with the other two hospitals in Houston?

7. What is the hospital's situation when the book was written in 1988?

8. What is the Committee's decision regarding Taylor, in Chapter 16?

9. What are the other two hospitals in Houston?

10. What happens to Armando when he arrives at his new facility?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare Hermann Hospital to the other major hospitals in Houston, Ben Taub and Methodist. How does Hermann fit in with the other two? What sort of experience do Hermann's patients get in comparison to the other hospitals' patients? Why? Should Hermann strive to become more like one of the other hospitals? If so, which one? If not, why? Why does Belkin compare Hermann to these other hospitals? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 2

Belkin mentions that elder care is a great burden on the medical system, and some have suggested that care be rationed to the elderly. How do you feel about this suggestion? Is it a financially practical option for the health care system? Why or why not? Why is it such a controversial idea? What would the benefits and drawbacks of such a system be? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

Most of the patients Belkin discusses are poor, and cannot afford their medical care. What do you think a hospital should be required to do in situations when people cannot afford their own care? Should the hospitals be responsible for giving people all of the care they need, regardless of the cost, and give the uninsured equal treatment? Or should there be a limit to what hospitals are required to provide, due to financial limitations? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

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