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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 poet is quoted by the author in the Introduction with the line, “Oh Lord, give each of us his own death”?

2. What was the profession of James McCarty?

3. What word from Chapter 6 refers to the fatal process of blood loss, to a degree sufficient to cause death?

4. What term from Chapter 6 refers to something pertaining to or symptomatic of agony, especially paroxysmal distress, as the death throes?

5. What Latin term does the author use to describe the “art of dying” in the Introduction?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What does Dr. Nuland say regarding the bureaucracy of death in Chapter 3?

4. What statistics does Dr. Nuland provide relating to ischemic heart disease in Chapter 1?

5. What happened when Dr. Nuland was doing Mr. McCarty’s paperwork, according to the author in Chapter 1?

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

7. How does the author begin his Introduction? What does he say of the primary avenues leading to death in this section of the book?

8. How does the author describe the progression of Alzheimer’s in Chapter 5?

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

10. What is related of Irv Lipsiner in Chapter 1? What was Lipsiner’s medical history?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and analyze the characteristics of James McCarty in Chapter 1. What evidence described by the author indicates that McCarty was prone to heart problems? How did Dr. Nuland respond when McCarty had a heart attack? What medical procedure was performed?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the six primary avenues leading to death as defined in the Introduction of the book. Which of these avenues affects the elderly principally? Which are more common among the young? Were there any avenues on this list that surprised you? Why or why not?

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