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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 word from Chapter 4 refers to any detached, traveling intravascular mass carried by circulation which is capable of clogging arterial capillary beds at a site distant from its point of origin?

2. What is the first of the seven most common causes of death for 85% of the elderly population, as discussed in Chapter 4?

3. The lower chambers of the human heart are referred to by what name?

4. A person’s heart rate does what annually as they age, according to Dr. Nuland in Chapter 3?

5. What was the profession of James McCarty?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the author describe the degeneration of his grandmother in Chapter 3?

2. How does the author describe the metabolic changes of aging in Chapter 3?

3. How is “legal death” defined by the author in Chapter 6?

4. What case study does the author cite in discussing death by murder in Chapter 6? How did this individual die?

5. What seven primary causes of death does the author cite for elderly patients in Chapter 4?

6. How do the brain and heart change as a person ages, according to the author in Chapter 3?

7. What medical procedure did Dr. Nuland Perform on James McCarty? What was the outcome?

8. What information does the author relate of stroke fatalities in Chapter 4? Whose assistance does he cite in this chapter?

9. Who is Horace Giddens and how is he described by the author?

10. What does the author beseech of the reader in his Introduction to How We Die?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe and discuss Lillian Hellman’s play, The Little Foxes, and specifically the character of Horace Giddens. How is Giddens’ character described in the play? Why is he discussed in How We Die? What three expected causes of death does the author describe for Horace Giddens?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the role of endorphins and their role in easing death for trauma patients as well as “near-death experiences.” Why does the author state that the theory of endorphin release after trauma has insufficient evidence for proof? How is the theory illustrated in the case study of Katie Mason?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Janet Whiting’s sequence of reactions to her husband’s diagnosis with Alzheimer’s disease. In what ways did Janet’s responses mimic those of grief? Give examples of how Phil’s wife employed both rationalization and denial as his symptoms presented themselves.

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