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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. In 1942, UK statisticians approached the Ministry of Health with the shocking news that cancer morbidity had risen ______ fold in the past 20 years.

2. In Spring 2005, Mukherjee had to make a decision. What was this decision?

3. When was this cancer discovered?

4. How was Carla at this time?

5. The ____________ theory developed by Varmus and Bishop provided the first comprehensive theory of carcinogenesis.

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the oncomouse? Was this successful? Why or why not?

2. What was STAMP? How did this bring hope to those who suffered from cancer?

3. How did the quest for the cure for cancer undergo a drastic reorganization in 1976?

4. Who was Einar Gustafson? How is this significant?

5. How did the tide begin to turn regarding Americans' view smoking?

6. What is the significance of the SRC gene?

7. Who were epidemiologists?

8. Mukherjee discusses the successes of others in this story. Why does he credit the survival of patients to the work of those in the 1950s and 1960s?

9. Why did the author end the book with Germaine's story? Is this a good ending? Why or why not?

10. What did Percival Pott notice? How is this significant?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The late 1940s and 1950s brought the world a great number of new pharmaceuticals.

Part 1) What are four of these pharmaceuticals? What is the purpose of these pharmaceuticals? How is this growth in medicine significant?

Part 2) How have we been affected by these new pharmaceuticals? How different would the field of medicine be today if it were not for these new medicines?

Part 3) What problems have these new medicines caused? What issues must we now deal with in which these new types of medicine are at least partially to blame? How might these problems change the world of medicine yet again?

Essay Topic 2

In 1775, Percival Pott noticed a shocking number of his patients suffered from scrotal cancer.

Part 1) Why had this increase occurred? Why were many of cases such as these ignored? What does this say about society at this time? How does this lead to studies into the effects of tobacco and cigarettes?

Part 2) When was it finally determined that tobacco and cigarettes cause lung cancer? Why did it take so long? Why is cigarette smoking still allowed, even though it is known that it causes cancer? What role has the tobacco industry played in the continued purchasing and popularity of cigarettes?

Part 3) How has the view of smoking begun to change? How is this seen in our society including restaurants, bars, and even on television and in movies?

Essay Topic 3

Four and five drug combinations were tested with success.

Part 1) How did researchers begin to test combinations of four and five drugs? How did many of these combinations affect patients? How did these studies lead to success?

Part 2) How did these successes affect cancer patients? How did these studies also lead to the idea of the "smiling oncologist?" How did this type of doctor affect the mindset of a patient?

Part 3) Is there a need for such an oncologist? Is that type of attitude towards cancer necessary? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,104 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample