View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What was the name of the woman whose body smelled bad because of her last meal?

2. What kind of food did Lynch say many neighbors brought over after his divorce?

3. Children under twelve accounted for approximately what percentage of deaths in 1900?

4. Approximately how many acres are in a par four hole on a golf course?

5. When did embalming become common?

Short Essay Questions

1. If the dead don't care, why did Lynch get up in the middle of the night to tend to the newly deceased?

2. How did Lynch describe the difference between chance and coincidence?

3. What were the different ways in which loved ones reacted to being asked to collect the ashes of the deceased?

4. How did the modern amenities (toilet, television, etc.) change life in the old Irish cottage?

5. What did Lynch mean when he stated that "one hand washes the other" in Chapter 1?

6. Why did the undertakers at the conference seem intent of developing new language to explain what they did for a living?

7. When and why did the regular practice of embalming begin?

8. In what fundamental ways did the flush toilet change human civilization?

9. How did Lynch convey the sensuality of the preparation and eating of the artichoke?

10. How did Lynch handle being a father while serving as an undertaker and seeing dead children?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Lynch discussed how society has accepted certain deaths in the names of choice, justice, and God. How does this willingness to accept the end of life in some cases affect society as a whole? How does a society determine where to draw the line? How does this attitude affect attitudes toward life itself? Why do people who accept some death choices utterly reject others? Is Lynch right when he states that primitive humans had a more civilized attitude toward life and death?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the assisted suicide doctor, Jack Kevorkian. Why were so many people willing to allow him to "assist" them in killing themselves? How does Lynch view the notion of providing someone with assistance in suicide? How did the general public react to Kevorkian and why was he not convicted? Is there an absolute value of life or can society reach an agreement about when people may choose to end theirs?

Essay Topic 3

Although he acknowledges that once he is dead, his opinion will not matter, Lynch provides a blueprint for his own funeral. Discuss the significance of the various aspects of the funeral as described in the last chapter. What is the significance of the time of year? the weather? the preferred services? the desire to have people remain at the graveside until the casket is lowered? What is the ultimate desire of Lynch for his funeral?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,101 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample