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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 is immediately noticeable about Landon when he is born?

2. What happened to the board of trustees who were supposed to oversee the building of the hospital?

3. What is the situation of Hermann at the time the book was written?

4. Why is it difficult for Landon to leave the house?

5. Who is Landon's attending surgeon?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. What are the guidelines the Committee must follow regarding withdrawing life support, as set forth by Randy in Chapter 25?

5. What is Hermann Hospital's financial situation?

6. What is Mary Coffey's relationship with Armando?

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

8. What happened to Javier after he quit Hermann?

9. According to the author, what does the debate over medical ethics boil down to?

10. Who is Cindy Walker?

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

The Ethics Committee has strict rules regarding when it is appropriate to withdraw a patient's life support. Do you agree with the rules and standards they have? Why or why not? Do you believe it is ever appropriate to withdraw life support from a patient? Why or why not? If you were the family of one of the patients at Hermann, what would you have done, and why? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the personality and actions of Patrick Dismuke. Why was he so close to the hospital staff? How did he endear himself to them? How did they handle his death? Did their emotional attachment to him affect the way they treated his condition? Why or why not? Why did he go to such lengths to return to Hermann? Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your thesis.

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This section contains 951 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample