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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. Irv Lipsiner is described as an athlete and what in Chapter 1?

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

3. Horace Giddens is described by Dr. Nuland as what in Chapter 2?

4. According to the author in the Introduction, “Everyone wants to know the details of dying, though few are willing to” what?

5. At what age had Irv Lipsiner suffered a small heart attack, according to the author in Chapter 1?

Short Essay Questions

1. How treatable are cardiac events, according to the author in Chapter 1?

2. When did the author encounter James McCarty? How is McCarty depicted in Chapter 1?

3. How does the author go about explaining the heart’s functions in Chapter 2?

4. What does the author write of the “mystery” and “myth” of death in the Introduction?

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

6. How does the author explain man’s need for oxygen in Chapter 6?

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

8. What does Dr. Nuland suggest as the cause for the sense of peace that describes certain individuals who die through severe trauma in Chapter 6?

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

10. What medical progress has been made in the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, according to the author in Chapter 5?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the body’s need for oxygen and the symptoms and prognosis for shock. What is the significance of the quote, “man is an obligate aerobe”? How much blood is lost before a person enters the state of shock? How does the injury itself (i.e.: where the individual is losing blood from) affect the prognosis?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the mythology of dying. What authors, mythologies and religions does the author cite in his discussion of rituals and customs surrounding death? How has death been perceived by different cultures? Are any of these customs and beliefs considered more attainable than others? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the works of William Osler and Lewis Thomas. What theories and philosophies did these individuals present? What were the Ingersoll Lectures? Why does the author view the philosophies of William Osler and Lewis Thomas to be deceiving?

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