View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What did the doctor determine when Deborah saw him after her trip to clover in Part Three: Immortality, Chapter 37?
(a) She had cervical cancer.
(b) She was schizophrenic.
(c) Her blood pressure and blood sugar were extremely high.
(d) She was epileptic and had suffered a concussion.

2. On what date did Rebecca Skloot meet Deborah in order to see Henrietta Lacks's cells?
(a) May 11, 2001.
(b) October 11, 1996.
(c) June 30, 2002.
(d) July 9, 2000.

3. In what year did John Moore die?
(a) 2005.
(b) 2001.
(c) 1999.
(d) 2009.

4. How old was Deborah's grandson Alfred when Deborah Lacks died?
(a) 12.
(b) 16.
(c) 8.
(d) 5.

5. What comparison did the researcher at Johns Hopkins make for a person's cells and their rights to a portion of the profits for those cells in Part Three: Immortality, Chapter 32?
(a) He compared cells to water.
(b) He compared cells to sand.
(c) He compared cells to food.
(d) He compared cells to oil.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who was the judge that oversaw John Moore's initial case against UCLA?

2. Where did Roland Pattillo grow up?

3. Who told Michael Rogers that Henrietta Lacks was actually the name of the patient whose cells became known as HeLa cells?

4. How much money did the NIH invest in 2009 to develop a bank for the samples taken from newborns nationwide in the U.S.?

5. On what date does Rebecca Skloot describe driving to clover in Part Three: Immortality, Chapter 38?

Short Essay Questions

1. What gift did Rebecca Skloot give to Deborah Lacks when she first met her in person? How did Deborah respond?

2. What statement did Susan Hsu make about her interactions with the Lacks family when she was interviewed by Rebecca Skloot?

3. How did Bobbette Lacks respond when she discovered the history of HeLa cells?

4. How effective do you think Rebecca Skloot was in giving a voice to the Lacks family in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks?

5. What caused Deborah Lacks anxiety after her blood sample was collected by Johns Hopkins in Part Three: Immortality – Chapter 23?

6. What concerns did Deborah Lacks present to Rebecca Skloot during their first in-person meeting? What were Deborah's fears about HeLa cells and their use?

7. When did Deborah Lacks die? What is significant about the timing of her death in Rebecca Skloot's narrative?

8. Based on Skloot's statements in the Afterword, what is the likelihood that your DNA is on file somewhere? Why?

9. What legal issues arose for the Lacks descendants in 2013? How were these issues resolved?

10. How does the author describe the development of tissue research today? What are tissue samples used for?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 995 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample