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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. On what day in 1917 did Congress vote America into joining World War I?

2. From what industry was the term "lip-pointing" (56) inherited?

3. Grace Fryer was motivated to take a position at Radium Luminous Materials Corporation by what reason?

4. Who was the first of the United States dial-painters to file suit against her employer?

5. Until 1922, Cecil K. Drinker's department at Harvard was wholly funded by what source?

Short Essay Questions

1. What were the findings of the first-ever autopsy on a dial-painter?

2. What actions comprised the technique known as lip-pointing and why was it done?

3. Cecil K. Drinker's tour of the United States Radium Corporation plant took place on the day following what related event?

4. What is the author's evidence for the claim that radium made an "all-pervasive entry into American life"?

5. In 1917, what was the reputation of radium in America?

6. What is the author's tone when ending Chapter 11 with the words, "After all-now it was bad for business" (79)?

7. What is the author's purpose in depicting the scene of the lab workers' toiling at the Orange plant alongside the scene of the dial-painters working in the studio?

8. What two leads did Katherine Wiley pursue after the death of Hazel Kuser?

9. What actions did the United States Radium Corporation take once they received Cecil K. Drinker's full report regarding its employees on June 3, 1924?

10. Who were the primary producers of positive literature about radium?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the significance of the dentist Dr. Knef's false discovery that Mollie Maggia was positive for syphilis? How does this event connect to the narrative's overarching themes?

Essay Topic 2

How does the author use sensory details in order to paint a vivid portrait of the historical events she depicts within the book? Discuss at least two scenes that include extensive use of sensory details and pull quotes from these scenes to support your claim.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the author's decision to include a variety of photographs within the text. What purpose did she have in mind when including images of the dial-painters and other subjects? Back up your strong, specific claim about the author's use of photographs with concrete details from the images she includes in the book.

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This section contains 1,060 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample