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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who was the young Johns Hopkins researcher that sent a gift to Deborah Lacks by way of Rebecca Skloot when Rebecca met Deborah for the first time?
(a) Terry Sharrer.
(b) George Gey.
(c) Dr. Howard Jones.
(d) Christoph Lengauer.

2. What sentence did Deborah's son Alfred Carter, Jr. receive for robbery with a dangerous and deadly weapon and first-degree assault with a handgun?
(a) 30 years in prison.
(b) 50 years in prison.
(c) 40 years in prison.
(d) 10 years in prison.

3. As of the book's publication in 2009, over how many scientific articles had been published about research done on HeLa?
(a) Over 60,000.
(b) Over 80,000.
(c) Over 70,000.
(d) Over 100,000.

4. In what year did Bobbette Lacks discover the truth about HeLa cells and their connection to Henrietta Lacks?
(a) 1976.
(b) 1963.
(c) 1980.
(d) 1973.

5. Who was the researcher at Johns Hopkins who showed Deborah her mother's cells?
(a) Dr. Howard Jones.
(b) Roland Pattillo.
(c) Christoph Lengauer.
(d) Walter Nelson-Rees.

Short Answer Questions

1. When was the Washington Post article dated that was titled "Overcrowded Hospital 'Loses' Curable Patients" and given to Rebecca to read at Crownville Hospital Center?

2. Where did Rebecca and Deborah go after leaving Crownsville to look for more medical records on Elsie in Part Three: Immortality, Chapter 33?

3. When was the Human Genome Project declared complete?

4. When was the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act passed in the United States?

5. What corporation owns the patents to BRCA1 and BRCA2, the genes responsible for most cases of breast and ovarian cancer?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Deborah discover during her visit to her doctor after she returned from her research travels with Rebecca Skloot in 2001?

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

3. What treatment did John Moore receive from the medical center at UCLA?

4. How does Rebecca Skloot describe the financial gains of George and Margaret Gey as a result of the cultivation of HeLa cells?

5. 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?

6. How did the members of the Lacks family respond to the new found fame they received on Henrietta's behalf in Part Three: Immortality – Chapter 28?

7. Why did Deborah Lacks fail to attend the Foundation for Cancer Research's event dedicated to her mother in Part Three: Immortality – Chapter 37?

8. How does the author describe John Moore's illness in Part Three: Immortality – Chapter 25? When did Moore first get sick?

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

10. What factors contributed to the Lacks family's distrust of Rebecca and of the scientific community?

(see the answer keys)

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