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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 happens to Landon, as the result of a high fever?

2. The courts revised the hospital founder's will to allow for what?

3. Who is Armando's physical therapist?

4. How does Armando respond when asked if he wants to be placed on a DNR?

5. What emotions is Armando experiencing in Chapter 9?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. What are Hazel Mitchell's responsibilities at Hermann?

6. What are the other two hospitals in Houston?

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

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

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

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

Kenny Sparks was overwhelmed by the information he was given regarding his son, and two doctors were fighting over their opinions of what he should do. Should a doctor be allowed to give his or her personal opinion regarding what a patient's guardian should choose to do? Or should they simply give the patients' families medical information? In a case like Landon's, when the two doctors have such widely differing opinions, how should it be settled? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 2

Belkin states that the book is about "making choices, and living with them." How well do you think the book conveys this message? Why? Is there anything that Belkin could have done differently to convey the message better? If so, what? Who has to live with the decisions that are made in the book? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

Think about the debate over the purpose of medical care. What are the different views presented in the book? Which one do you agree with? Why? At what point does medical care change from improving the quality of a person's life, to simply sustaining that life? Is it selfish to keep someone alive when they have no hope of recovery? Or is it "playing God" to let someone die? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

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