Deck 17: The Final Challenge: Death and Dying

Question 1

How many of the following (active euthanasia, passive euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide) result in a terminally ill individual dying of natural causes?

A)0
B)1
C)2
D)3

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Active euthanasia is also called

A)mercy killing.
B)assisted suicide.
C)physician-assisted suicide.
D)passive euthanasia.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Deanna is dying of cancer and her feeding tube was just removed by a nurse. If the goal of this action would be to have her eventually die, it is best considered

A)passive euthanasia.
B)active euthanasia.
C)physician-assisted suicide.
D)self-inflicted suicide.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following is an example of passive euthanasia?

A)Giving a terminally ill patient a lethal dose of drugs
B)Permitting a terminally ill patient to give him/herself a lethal dose of drugs
C)Removing a patient who is brain dead and in an irreversible coma from a respirator
D)Smothering a terminally ill patient to death at his request

Question 5

Vaughn says, "I believe that everyone has the right to tell other people what they want done in the case they get hurt badly. For example, if I am ever in an accident and go into a coma, I do not want anyone hooking me up to any machines to keep me alive. That's why I have a piece of paper that says that they cannot do that to me!" This statement indicates that Vaughn is a strong proponent of

A)assisted suicide.
B)physician-assisted suicide.
C)active euthanasia.
D)living wills.

Question 6

Some doctors will prescribe painkillers or sleeping pills for terminally ill patients, knowing that the patient may very well deliberately take a lethal overdose. This is an example of

A)active euthanasia.
B)passive euthanasia.
C)fratricide.
D)assisted suicide.

Question 7

Who is engaging in active euthanasia?

A)Adam, who is withholding pain-killing drugs
B)Sandler, who is removing a feed-tube from a patient who cannot feed him/herself
C)Will, who is injecting a terminally ill patient with a lethal dose of drugs
D)Farrell, who is removing a respirator from a patient who is totally brain dead

Question 8

A Harvard group definition of biological death includes the criteria of

A)failure to move for 1 hour and failure to breathe for 3 minutes after removal from ventilator.
B)only eye response is reflexive eye blink.
C)heart-beat rate of 0 per minute for 10 consecutive minutes.
D)lack of electrical activity throughout entire brain and spinal cord.

Question 9

In the United States, there is overwhelming support among members of the general public for

A)passive euthanasia.
B)assisted suicide.
C)active euthanasia.
D)no overwhelming support exists for any of these above mentioned concepts.

Question 10

Comas are most likely to be reversible when the coma is due to

A)massive external head trauma.
B)an abnormally low body temperature.
C)heart failure.
D)HIV/AIDS.

Question 11

Total brain death includes all of the following components except

A)the person is totally unresponsive to stimuli (including a lack of pain).
B)there is a lack of reflexes.
C)there is a failure to breathe for 36 hours.
D)there is no electrical activity in the cortex of the brain.

Question 12

It is most accurate to say that biological death

A)is a single event with a clear-cut end point.
B)occurs when a person stops breathing.
C)is a process consisting of multiple events and the line between life and death is blurry.
D)officially occurs when the heart stops beating.

Question 13

The main purpose of a living will is to

A)make provisions for the division of property among loved ones after one's own death.
B)specify how much medical care you wish to receive if you become terminally ill.
C)appoint guardians to care for all living minor offspring upon one's death.
D)make active euthanasia legal for one's self.

Question 14

Euthanasia is best defined as "_____" death.

A)quick
B)good
C)painless
D)natural

Question 15

What did Karen Ann Quinlan and Terri Schaivo have in common?

A)Their situations demonstrated that there is only one legitimate definition of death.
B)They both demonstrated that once machines used to keep an individual alive are terminated, death is swift.
C)Their situations were the bases for two of the most famous right-to-life cases in the past few decades.
D)They both regained consciousness and lived normal lives after having been in comas for over 10 years.

Question 16

Owens and colleagues (2006) conducted research on a young woman who had been in a vegetative state for 5 months. When she was asked to imagine visiting rooms of her house, she

A)awakened from the vegetative state.
B)remained in the state, but spoke aloud stating which rooms she was visiting.
C)had a brain that responded in the same manner as a healthy brain would respond.
D)showed no measurable neurological reaction to the stimulation.

Question 17

Total brain death involves

A)irreversible loss in only the higher centers of the cerebral cortex.
B)reversible loss in only the lower centers of the brain.
C)irreversible loss in both the higher and lower centers of the brain.
D)reversible loss in both the higher and lower centers of the brain.

Question 18

Which of the following is an example of assisted suicide?

A)Instructing a terminally ill patient on what household chemicals to mix together to create a deadly gas
B)Injecting someone with a lethal dose of a drug that he or she is already taking
C)Withholding medical treatment for a chronic disorder
D)Removing someone from a respirator when brain activity is nonexistent

Question 19

_____ was the first state to legalize physician-assisted suicide.

A)California
B)Massachusetts
C)Oregon
D)Florida

Question 20

Despite being in an irreversible coma, Karen Ann Quinlan was not considered to be totally brain dead because

A)it was likely that she would regain consciousness at some time in the future.
B)she continued to show significant activity in her cerebral cortex.
C)her condition was due to an environmental accident (drug use) not a natural biological process (e.g., cancer).
D)she continued to breathe even after being taken off of a respirator.

Question 21

In the United States, an eight-year-old child would be most likely to die

A)from a terminal illness.
B)from some congenital abnormalities.
C)as the result of a car accident.
D)from child abuse.

Question 22

Jen's 70-year-old Uncle Ben who lives in the United States just died. As a knowledgeable individual, Jen would realize statistically, the most likely cause of his death was

A)heart disease.
B)suicide.
C)cancer .
D)cerebrovascular disease.

Question 23

In the United States, the average life expectancy to birth is currently about _____ years.

A)72
B)78
C)84
D)90

Question 24

Cross-cultural research on death-hastening practices in the frail elderly has shown that practices include all of the following except

A)depriving them of food..
B)stabbing upon request.
C)driving them from their home.
D)injecting them with poison made from local plants.

Question 25

Statistically, an individual born in _____ would have the shortest life expectancy.

A)Sweden
B)Japan
C)China
D)Zambia

Question 26

As a right-to-life advocate, Ophelia is most likely to state that,

A)"Everyone has the right to decide they should die."
B)"Cutting short a life under any circumstance, even if it is requested, is murder."
C)"People against active euthanasia are idiots."
D)"I plan to do everything I can to legalize physician-assisted suicide."

Question 27

In which culture would you expect the loudest celebration following someone's death?

A)Irish
B)Jewish
C)Japanese
D)Puerto Rican

Question 28

Which is true with regard to life expectancies in the United States today?

A)Life expectancy for all people, regardless of race and gender, is very similar.
B)Males are generally expected to outlive females, by about five years.
C)Hormonal difference may account for sex differences in life expectancy.
D)Life expectancy is based on biological factors and does not vary by socioeconomic level (e.g., poverty versus wealth).

Question 29

Compared to modern people in the United States, Europeans in the Middle Ages were more likely to

A)fear death.
B)go off and die alone.
C)care for their dying relatives at home.
D)die in a medical setting.

Question 30

The maximum lifespan of a human is closest to _____ years.

A)102
B)112
C)122
D)132

Question 31

According to the programmed theories, aging and death are

A)more psychological events than physical events.
B)too complicated to study.
C)under genetic control.
D)the result of a gradual buildup of damage to cells and organs.

Question 32

Based on statistics, which United States resident would you expect to have the shortest lifespan?

A)Tyler, an African-American male
B)Tonya, an African-American female
C)Taylor, an European-American male
D)Teri, an European-American female

Question 33

The _____ theory of aging emphasizes the haphazard processes causing errors in cells to accumulate and organ systems to deteriorate.

A)programmed theories
B)damage theories
C)telomeres theory
D)the Hayflick Limit theory

Question 34

Concerning theories of aging, programmed is to damage as

A)systematic is to haphazard.
B)environmental is to genetic.
C)average life span is to maximum lifespan.
D)active is to passive.

Question 35

Olga is a right-to-die activist. As such, she is most likely to agree with the statement,

A)death needs to be seen as a medical failure.
B)the hospice movement is a move in the wrong direction.
C)death needs to be experienced and shared within the family.
D)it is the quantity of life that matters, not the quality of life.

Question 36

Maximum life span is best defined as the _____ number of years that a member of a species lives.

A)median
B)average
C)minimum
D)ceiling

Question 37

Based on statistics, which United States resident would you expect to have the longest lifespan?

A)Lenny, an African-American male
B)Lacy, an African-American female
C)Larry, a European-American male
D)Lucy, a European-American female

Question 38

Which is the best definition of average life expectancy to birth?

A)The average number of years the average newborn in a population will live.
B)The maximum number of years the average newborn in a population will live.
C)The average number of years a member of an entire species can live.
D)The maximum number of years a member of an entire species can live.

Question 39

_____ families often engage in shivah in which the dead are mourned immediately, at 1-month, and at 1-year.

A)Irish
B)Jewish
C)Japanese
D)Puerto Rican

Question 40

You see an obituary in the local newspaper for a 15-year-old. If you live in the United States, what would be the more likely cause of the individual's death?

A)Heart disease
B)Cardiovascular
C)Homicide
D)Cancer

Question 41

Progeria is best associated with

A)extended lifespan.
B)accelerated aging.
C)severe mental retardation.
D)irreversible comas.

Question 42

_____ theories of aging argue that in early development cells replicate faithfully, but in later life, this fidelity is lost and cells become increasingly likely to undergo problematic replication.

A)Programmed
B)Telomere
C)Progeria
D)Damage

Question 43

One toxic byproduct of normal metabolic processing within a cell is called a(n)

A)hormone.
B)free radical.
C)antioxidant.
D)telomere.

Question 44

Despite being only 12 years old, Chris shows many signs of advanced aging. His skin is wrinkled, his face looks like that of an old man, and he is suffering from heart failure. Given these characteristics, it is most likely that Chris is suffering from

A)sickle-cell disease.
B)Klinefelter syndrome.
C)progeria.
D)Turner syndrome.

Question 45

During the past few centuries,

A)both average life expectancy and maximum lifespan have increased dramatically.
B)average life expectancy has increased dramatically, while maximum lifespan has increased only a little.
C)maximum lifespan has increased dramatically, while average life expectancy has increased only a little.
D)both average life expectancy and maximum lifespan have decreased dramatically.

Question 46

How do "free radicals" damage the body and result in aging?

A)They have a "free electron" that is chemically unstable and can damage a cell's DNA.
B)They tend to create elevated levels of testosterone within the body, and this damages the reproductive system.
C)They generate large numbers of telomeres that attack and destroy brain cells.
D)They produce excess levels of the neurotransmitter GABA that is associated with age-related disorders like Alzheimer's disease.

Question 47

When describing aging, Dr. Dog says, "It is almost as if we are all born with a biological death clock that starts cells dividing at conception and later stops the cells so we die." Dr. Dog's comments fit best with

A)the Hayflick limit.
B)free radical theory.
C)the damage theory of aging.
D)the concept of average life expectancy at birth.

Question 48

The average human cell appears to have the capacity to divide about

A)5 times, plus or minus 2.
B)50 times, plus or minus 10.
C)1,000 times, plus or minus 50.
D)5,000,000 times, plus or minus 10,000.

Question 49

Damage theories of aging suggest that

A)aging is the result of cells that are biologically programmed to divide a limited number of times.
B)death results from an accumulation of defects in cells and organs over time.
C)hormone levels in the brain are systematically altered in old age, and this results in aging and death.
D)autoimmune reactions damage normal body cells, leading to aging and death.

Question 50

Research on cellular contributions to aging suggests that

A)cells may be limited in how often they can divide because telomeres do not appear to replicate.
B)cells cannot make connections with other cells after the developmental period, and the lack of communication among cells leads to death.
C)cells can only divide once; after this, they slowly degenerate over the years.
D)there are no limits on cell life; without environmental wear and tear, we could live indefinitely.

Question 51

The notion of the hypothalamus serving as an "aging clock" for the body best fits with the _____ theory of aging.

A)programmed
B)free radical
C)antioxidant
D)damage

Question 52

Free radicals are byproducts of

A)the metabolism of oxygen.
B)a diet high in vitamin E.
C)the suppression of Hayflick's limit.
D)telomere division.

Question 53

How are telomeres related to the Hayflick limit?

A)A child born with more than two telomeres will double his or her limit.
B)The fact that telomeres do not replicate appears to create the limit.
C)Telomeres create the free radicals that work against the Hayflick limit.
D)Telomeres have no direct relationship to the Hayflick limit.

Question 54

For humans, which number is closest to 120?

A)Number of years in maximum lifespan
B)Number of cells in the body that contain telomeres
C)Number of years in median life expectancy
D)Number of times a cell can divide

Question 55

Free radical theory is best categorized as a _____ theory of aging.

A)programmed
B)hormonal
C)mutation
D)damage

Question 56

The stretch of DNA that forms the tip of a chromosome is called the

A)telomere.
B)free radical.
C)nucleus.
D)autosome.

Question 57

The fact that the maximum lifespan of a mouse is around 3½ years, while the maximum lifespan for a dog and a Galapagos tortoise are about 20 years and 150 years, respectively, indicates that

A)species-wide genes likely play a role in longevity.
B)size is unrelated to longevity.
C)longevity is highly related to intelligence.
D)the slower you go the longer you live.

Question 58

Your child has just been diagnosed with progeria. What outcome should you expect?

A)Death due to a lack of blood clotting within a year
B)A normal life except for the inability to reproduce
C)Death by the teen years as the result of premature aging
D)A normal life except for severe to moderate communication and linguistic deficiencies

Question 59

\The Hayflick limit is most related to the

A)onset of progeria.
B)creation of free radicals.
C)average life expectancy at birth for an individual.
D)maximum life span per species.

Question 60

The Hayflick limit refers to

A)how much infection the immune system can handle.
B)a person's average life expectancy.
C)the number of times a cell can divide/double itself.
D)the amount of time the hypothalamus can function before it malfunctions.

Question 61

How do antioxidants appear to increase longevity?

A)They repair damaged done by the division of telomeres.
B)They greatly increase the quantity of telomeres in the body.
C)They inhibit free radical activity in the body.
D)They greatly increase the quantity of free radicals in the body.

Question 62

How many of the following (the Hayflick limit, systematic changes in the immune system, normal changes in the activity of certain genes as we age) are linked to the damage theory approach to aging?

A)0
B)1
C)2
D)3

Question 63

How did the 1,800 calorie-a-day diet impact individuals in the Biosphere II?

A)They showed permanent improvement in several physiological indicators.
B)They showed improvement in several physiological indicators that disappeared when they resumed their normal diets.
C)They showed permanent declines in several physiological indicators.
D)They showed declines in several physiological indicators that disappeared when they resumed their normal diets.

Question 64

The sentences, "Toxic waste products accumulate because genes shut off. Genes shut off because toxic waste products build up," were used to make the point that aging is

A)best explained by biological factors.
B)best explained by environmental factors.
C)best explained by a combination of biological and environmental factors.
D)unexplainable.

Question 65

Which is the best summary concerning theories of aging?

A)Damage theories are vastly superior
B)Programmed theories are vastly superior
C)A combination of damage and programmed theories is the best explanation
D)A rejection of both damage and programmed theories is the best explanation

Question 66

When Charlene visits her doctor, she is told that one way to slow the aging process is by the consumption of antioxidants. As a knowledgeable individual, Charlene would realize that she needs to consume more

A)red meat.
B)vitamin E.
C)iron supplements.
D)calcium.

Question 67

In Kübler-Ross's original model, the reaction of denial and isolation is followed by the reaction of

A)acceptance.
B)anger.
C)bargaining.
D)depression.

Question 68

The notion of "stages of dying" is best associated with

A)Freud.
B)Kübler-Ross.
C)Hayflick.
D)Parkes.

Question 69

Severely restricting one's diet appears to impact aging by doing all of the following except

A)reducing the number of free radicals.
B)altering gene activity.
C)triggering hormones that slow the metabolism.
D)eliminating telomeres from the ends of chromosomes.

Question 70

The most likely change in aging that will take place in the near future is a significant

A)increase in maximum lifespan.
B)increase in average age of death.
C)decrease in average age of death.
D)decrease in maximum lifespan.

Question 71

Despite the fact that Davis knows his friend Alice is dying of cancer, the next time they meet, Davis says, "Don't worry about it, we all know that you are going to be fine." According to Kübler-Ross, Davis's statement exemplifies the dying-related coping device of

A)denial.
B)anger.
C)bargaining.
D)depression.

Question 72

In order to effectively alter the maximum lifespan in rats and primates, researchers have used dietary restrictions of about _____ below normal caloric intake.

A)5-10%
B)10-20%
C)20-30%
D)30-40%

Question 73

One concern over attempting to stop the aging process by controlling the shortening of telomeres is that the process may increase the risk of

A)blood-related disorders.
B)respiratory failure.
C)heart disease.
D)cancer.

Question 74

Which dietary suggestion has been shown to successfully and significantly extend the life of some animals?

A)A diet high in free radicals
B)An antioxidant-free diet
C)Severe caloric restriction
D)Ingesting large quantities of vitamins C and E

Question 75

Which is the best advice concerning the connection between vitamin E and longevity?

A)Avoid vitamin E at all costs
B)One dose a month is ideal
C)Moderate doses seem ideal
D)The more the better

Question 76

Sixty-year-old Njia says, "I'll prove to you that free radicals can impact the body. Just look at this!" If Njia knows what she is talking about, she will most likely show you

A)a report on high levels of vitamin E in her blood stream.
B)a medical chart indicating excessive levels of oxygen in her lungs.
C)a darkened "age spot" on her arm.
D)a doctor's report indicating the level o the neurotransmitter GABA is extremely high within her brain.

Question 77

When the doctor tells him that he is dying of cancer, Harley refuses to believe the doctor and insists that the laboratory results must be inaccurate. Harley is likely in the _____ stage of dying.

A)denial
B)anger
C)bargaining
D)depression

Question 78

Kübler-Ross suggested that upon initially being told that they are going to die, most people's response in one of

A)denial.
B)anger.
C)bargaining.
D)depression.

Question 79

Denial is a defense mechanism in which

A)anxiety-producing thoughts are forced into conscious awareness.
B)anxiety-producing thoughts are isolated from conscious awareness.
C)pleasurable thoughts are forced into conscious awareness.
D)pleasurable thoughts are isolated from conscious awareness.

Question 80

Which technique has been shown to be most successful at extending life in laboratory animals?

A)Severe calorie restriction
B)Manipulation of a gene on the 21st chromosome
C)Hormone replacement therapy
D)Injections of free radicals