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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. In Part 1, Section 3, how old was the boy named Matthew who had a tumor abutting his hypothalamus?

2. What philosopher did Paul study with at Stanford?

3. In Part 1, Section 2, how long did Paul study at Cambridge?

4. Who wrote the poem at the beginning of the Prologue?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Paul study literature and philosophy and also neuroscience?

2. In Part 1, Section 3, who was the first patient Paul lost, and how did she die?

3. Why wasn't technical excellence enough as Paul treated patients during his residency in Part 1, Section 3?

4. How did Paul describe his father?

5. What did Paul believe setting aside literature would do for him?

6. What did Paul's mother fear the most in Arizona?

7. Why does Abraham Verghese say that his foreword should have been an afterward?

8. What did the first X-rays Paul had reveal and what did the doctor think his issues were?

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

10. Why did Mari, a fellow medical student with Paul, feel relief and then shame when a surgery was called off at the end of Part 1, Section 2?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Paul decided to push himself to return to the operating room. Why did Paul push himself to return to the operating room, and how did he use ambition to get his skills and stamina back?

Essay Topic 2

Paul went through the stages of grief "backward." How did Paul cope with each of the stages of grief and why did he consider that he went through the stages in reverse order?

Essay Topic 3

Paul believed that science and faith led to truth. Why did Paul believe that both science and faith were necessary to find meaning in life? How did the two help Paul find meaning in his life?

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