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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. Where did Lucy begin her residency in Part 1, Section 3?

2. Where did Paul live in Part 1, Section 1, when he finished high school?

3. When did Abraham Verghese get to know Paul?

4. Where did Paul's op-ed "How Long Have I Got Left" get published?

5. Where did Paul's parents meet and fall in love?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the intern's role when Paul began his residency in Part 1, Section 3?

2. Why did Paul's father move his family to Arizona?

3. Why did Lucy, Paul's girlfriend in Part 1, Section 2, cry when she viewed an EKG while studying at Paul's apartment?

4. By the end of medical school, what did most students focus on for their specialties?

5. How did Paul describe his father?

6. How did Paul view language at the beginning of Part 1, Section 2?

7. What were some of the first symptoms Paul had experienced?

8. How were bodies provided for medical school in the past?

9. How did Paul's father inspire him?

10. How does Verghese describe the meeting he had with Paul?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Paul commented that terminal illness should have been the perfect gift for someone who wanted to understand death. Why should his illness have been a gift for Paul, and why was it so difficult for him to understand and live through his diagnosis of a terminal illness?

Essay Topic 2

The title of the book was "When Breath Becomes Air." What does that title mean and how did Paul's breath become air?

Essay Topic 3

Lucy stated that Paul was fully alive even to his last day. In what ways was Paul fully alive throughout his illness? How were his days full of purpose and meaning even as he lost physical capabilities?

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