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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 point does Cindy make, regarding Armando, at the end of Chapter 16?

2. What initially happened to the money that the founder left behind for the construction of the hospital?

3. Who is Armando's physical therapist?

4. What do Lin, Randy and Cindy discuss at the beginning of Chapter 10?

5. What is expected to happen to Hermann's financial situation?

Short Essay Questions

1. What happens with Taylor's ventilator in Chapter 13?

2. What happens to the Sparks family, in the four years following the events in the book?

3. What are the other two hospitals in Houston?

4. What does Mary try to do for Armando in Chapter 18?

5. What does Dr. Butler tell Kenny, in Chapter 23, regarding Landon's condition and treatment?

6. Who was the founder of Hermann Hospital, and how did he make his fortune?

7. What happens when Norma tells Armando about his condition?

8. How is Patrick's condition changing in Chapter 12?

9. Where does the Committee decide to send Armando in Chapter 18?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Armando grew up poor, knowing little English, and eventually his drunken brawls resulted in him getting shot. Did his lower-class upbringing influence the course of his life, which later resulted in his getting shot? Why or why not? Do you think that his injury still would have happened if he had a proper education and lived in a better area? Why or why not? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 2

Analyze the individuals on the Ethics Committee. What are their respective opinions about medical care, and life support? How do their opinions clash with one another, at times? Do you think that their level of comfort with one another is detrimental to their ability to work as a team to help patients? Why or why not? If they met more often, and not so sporadically, would they get along better? Why or why not? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

The Ethics Committee at Hermann is a very important part of the hospital's function. Why is their job so important? What would happen to the functioning of the hospital, if the Ethics Committee did not exist? What would the doctors have to do differently? How does the Ethics Committee help to comfort patients' families when they have to make difficult decisions? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

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