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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. When did Mabel Nassau conduct the study of elderly in Greenwich Village, that Gawande cites?

2. How does Gawande characterize his grandfather Sitaram Gawande’s elder years?

3. What does Gawande say Wilson’s assisted living facilities protected?

4. What does Gawande say the nursing homes Wilson looked at were designed for?

5. How did Alice Hobson lose her car?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the challenges Gawande describes in Alice Hobson’s declining health?

2. How does Gawande describe the development of this problem in medicine?

3. What conclusions does Gawande draw from the case of Joseph Lazaroff?

4. What perspective does Gawande’s father offer on Alice Hobson’s aging process?

5. What is the triumph in the story of Felix and Bella Silverstone?

6. How does Gawande characterize his grandfather’s aging and death?

7. What kind of conditions does Gawande witness at the Guru Vishram Vridh ashram in India?

8. What critique does Gawande make of his colleagues in the medical field?

9. How does Gawande characterize the problems surrounding Alice Hobson’s declining health?

10. How does Gawande use graphs to characterize the decline of people’s health?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Where is the climax of this book? Are there different climaxes? What questions does each climax resolve? What questions does each climax leave unanswered?

Essay Topic 2

Evaluate your own reading of Being Mortal—did you resist it, or were you compelled by the story? What does your reading tell you about yourself and your interests? Use specific examples from the book to describe yourself as a reader.

Essay Topic 3

Write an evaluative review of Being Mortal. What is this book’s place in our culture? Who will find this book most useful? What are its uses? What are its limitations?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 975 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample