Deck 17: Death, Dying, and Grieving

Question 1

Germain has signed an advance directive.This means that:

A)his physician will not use means to prolong his life when death is imminent.
B)he has given his immediate family legal control over his care.
C)he has authorized his family to engage in active euthanasia.
D)he has ordered his physician to do everything possible to keep him alive.

Answer 1

his physician will not use means to prolong his life when death is imminent.

Question 2

A young woman was seriously injured in a car accident and now shows no higher cortical brain function.Her parents decide to take her off the life-support machines but are shocked when she continues to breathe on her own.Is the young woman dead?

A)Yes,because her brain is no longer functioning.
B)It is unclear,because we do not know how long she will breathe on her own.
C)Yes,because she is no longer capable of thinking or showing personality characteristics.
D)It is unclear,because death can be defined in different ways by different people.

Answer 2

It is unclear,because death can be defined in different ways by different people.

Question 3

Recent scientific advances in the United States have led to more people:

A)dying a painless and easy death in their own home.
B)living a better-quality life in their final stages of dying.
C)dying a painless and easy death in the hospital.
D)suffering more and in pain longer before they die.

Answer 3

suffering more and in pain longer before they die.

Question 4

An advance directive/living will must be signed when:

A)at least two medical professionals are present.
B)a doctor and a lawyer are present.
C)an individual is told he or she has a life-threatening condition.
D)an individual is still able to think clearly.

Question 5

Jack Kevorkian,a Michigan physician,has assisted a number of terminally ill patients in ending their lives.After a series of legal trials,Dr.Kevorkian was:

A)convicted of second-degree murder and given a long prison sentence.
B)convicted of involuntary manslaughter and given a short amount of jail time.
C)not convicted of any crime,but had his medical license revoked.
D)not convicted of any crime,and he is still practicing medicine.

Question 6

Mieka was in a major car accident and,as a result,cannot live without being hooked up to a respirator.After several months of living in a coma attached to this machine,Mieka's parents decided to have the respirator turned off and Mieka died two days later.This is an example of:

A)uninformed euthanasia.
B)informed euthanasia.
C)active euthanasia.
D)passive euthanasia.

Question 7

Active euthanasia is a crime in __________ states (in the United States).

A)40
B)45
C)49
D)50

Question 8

The ________ portions of the brain often die sooner than the ________ portions.

A)lower;higher
B)lower;middle
C)higher;lower
D)All portions of the brain die at the same time.

Question 9

Levi sustained severe and irreversible brain damage in an auto accident.His wife and his parents decided to remove the life-support system,and Levi subsequently died.This is an example of:

A)active euthanasia.
B)passive euthanasia.
C)natural euthanasia.
D)culturally acceptable euthanasia.

Question 10

Which of the following refers to the right of an individual to determine whether extraordinary means should be used to keep them alive?

A)euthanasia
B)durable power of attorney
C)allowing termination of life-support in the event of brain death
D)living will or advance directive

Question 11

Defining death as nonfunction of the higher cortex implies that:

A)human life is not dependent on the ability to breathe and pump blood.
B)human life depends on characteristics such as intelligence and personality which are controlled in that brain area.
C)human life depends on electrical activity in the lower portions of the brain.
D)if one is on a life-support system and breathing,death has not occurred.

Question 12

If legal definitions of death were modified to mean death of the higher brain but not necessarily the lower brain,which of the following could become a legal practice?

A)assisted suicides for patients with terminal illnesses
B)mercy-killings of patients in chronic and severe pain
C)overdoses of pain medication to comatose patients
D)no life support to patients with no cortical function

Question 13

If the cortical death definition were adopted,then physicians could claim a person is dead when his or her ________ is no longer functioning.

A)lower brain
B)middle brain
C)higher brain
D)entire brain

Question 14

Which of the following statements about a living will is FALSE?

A)It is designed to have a person's choices be clear if that person becomes unable to communicate their wishes.
B)Only the terminally ill can write one.
C)The individual must be in a clear state of mind when writing it.
D)The document contains the individual's wishes regarding medical treatment.

Question 15

In the United States,________ euthanasia is generally more accepted than ________ euthanasia.

A)active;passive
B)passive;active
C)spontaneous;prearranged
D)prearranged;spontaneous

Question 16

Which of the following is a main issue in the controversy over euthanasia?

A)quality of life
B)quality of medical care
C)psychological effects on family
D)independence in making decisions

Question 17

Death occurs neurologically when ________ for a specified period of time.

A)one's brain shows no electrical activity
B)one stops being able to think
C)one no longer responds to external stimuli
D)one stops breathing

Question 18

Twenty-five years ago,definitions of death centered on:

A)neurological signs.
B)Breathing,blood pressure,and rigor mortis
C)electrical activity in the brain.
D)behavioral response.

Question 19

Your text reported that active euthanasia is legal in:

A)the Netherlands,Luxembourg,and Uruguay.
B)Africa and India.
C)Canada and Sweden.
D)China and Japan.

Question 20

Damon placed a pillow over his terminally ill wife and smothered her to end her suffering.This is an example of:

A)passive euthanasia.
B)active euthanasia.
C)natural euthanasia.
D)acceptable euthanasia.

Question 21

A person born today will most likely live until about age:

A)58.
B)68.
C)78.
D)88.

Question 22

The hospice was developed with the goal of:

A)providing inexpensive medical care to those who need it.
B)making the final stage of dying as pain free as possible.
C)giving spiritual and religious counsel to dying patients.
D)giving patients a place to stay when recovering from a chronic illness.

Question 23

Josue has incurable cancer.However,he promises to lead a reformed life dedicated to God if God will spare his life.Josue is in which of Kübler-Ross' stages of dying?

A)denial
B)hope
C)bargaining
D)acceptance

Question 24

According to Elisabeth Kübler-Ross,the third stage of dying is:

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

Question 25

Which of the following medical interventions would most likely be found in a hospice?

A)morphine
B)respirator
C)dialysis machine
D)heart-lung machine

Question 26

According to Elisabeth Kübler-Ross,the first stage of dying is:

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

Question 27

An individual is most likely to die:

A)at home.
B)in a hospice or institution.
C)in a hospital.
D)in a car accident.

Question 28

Ada knows that she has liver cancer and will not live much longer.In her prayers,she asks God to let her live one more year,and she will promise to set everything right with her family and loved ones.Elisabeth Kübler-Ross believed that this type of reaction to death tends to occur:

A)in the middle of the process of adjusting to death.
B)early in the process of adjusting to death.
C)just before death occurs.
D)near the end of the process of adjusting to death.

Question 29

An emphasis in our culture on using all life-prolonging methods possible,even in the face of certain death,is a sign of our culture's:

A)denial of death.
B)medical advancement.
C)acceptance of euthanasia.
D)abhorrence of assisted suicide.

Question 30

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross believed that,as one proceeds through the stages of death,the person tends to move from:

A)shock to relief.
B)denial to shock.
C)acceptance to bargaining.
D)denial to acceptance.

Question 31

Hospices are a relatively recent approach developed to:

A)cure illness and prolong life at all costs.
B)make the end of life as free from pain and anxiety as possible.
C)provide a place where people with no living relatives can die.
D)lower the cost of medical care by competing with hospitals.

Question 32

In the Gond culture of India,death is believed to be caused by:

A)magic and demons.
B)natural causes.
C)a supreme being.
D)selective fate.

Question 33

The main purpose of a hospice is to:

A)eliminate Americans' fear of death.
B)provide high-quality medical intervention in a homelike setting.
C)make death more peaceful and less taxing on the dying individual and their family members.
D)reduce wasteful expenditures on aggressive medical treatments for patients with little hope of survival.

Question 34

A person born in 1900 would most likely live until about age:

A)37.
B)47.
C)57.
D)67.

Question 35

Two hundred years ago,what percentage of children died before their 10^th birthday?

A)5
B)10
C)25
D)50

Question 36

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross believed that when a person is dying,depression is:

A)a temporary phase that friends and family should help the person through as quickly as possible.
B)the first phase that a person goes through upon learning that death is imminent.
C)part of the normal process of disconnecting oneself from love objects.
D)an unusual reaction signaling that the person needs professional counseling to cope with death.

Question 37

In contrast to those of many other cultures,people in the United States:

A)have less direct experience associated with death.
B)have deeper religious beliefs associated with death.
C)have greater exposure to rituals associated with death.
D)experience greater losses when a family member dies.

Question 38

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross divided the behavior and thinking of dying people into five stages.Which of the following lists these stages in the correct order?

A)denial and isolation,anger,bargaining,depression,acceptance
B)denial and isolation,bargaining,anger,depression,acceptance
C)denial and isolation,anger,grief,bargaining,acceptance
D)anger,bargaining,depression,acceptance,grief

Question 39

One way in which most societies are alike regarding death is that:

A)spiritual death is equated with physical death.
B)they share similar rituals associated with death.
C)biological death is not equated with spiritual death.
D)they have similar culturally accepted reactions to death.

Question 40

According to Elisabeth Kübler-Ross,the second stage of dying is:

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

Question 41

There are roughly ________ times more widows than widowers over the age of 85 years in the United States.

A)two
B)five
C)eight
D)ten

Question 42

Grief is most like:

A)an emotional volcano that erupts,then slowly dies out.
B)a roller coaster,because it goes up and down.
C)a sequence of stages,each with a specific length of time.
D)a flood that gradually swells to an emotional pitch.

Question 43

Approximately __________ of survivors experience normal or uncomplicated grief reactions.

A)80 to 90%
B)70 to 80%
C)60 to 70%
D)50 to 60%

Question 44

A view that grief proceeds in stages would not address:

A)the idea that grief is a unitary concept.
B)the invariant order in which grief proceeds.
C)the idea that grief gradually decreases across time.
D)the idea that some aspects of grief persist while others fade away.

Question 45

The stage of death during which a person may wish to be alone is:

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

Question 46

"I really have to go see Mr.Milhauser," Marla says,"but I have no idea what to say to someone who is dying." What should Marla do?

A)Talk with Mr.Milhauser about her own health problems.
B)Talk with Mr.Milhauser about the type of treatment he is receiving.
C)Talk with Mr.Milhauser about his strengths and about internal growth.
D)Send a message rather than going to see Mr.Milhauser so that she will not tire him.

Question 47

Approximately __________ of survivors experience complicated grief reactions.

A)10 to 20%
B)20 to 30%
C)30 to 40%
D)40 to 50%

Question 48

For a terminally ill person,which of the following can be the most useful benefit of denying one's imminent death?

A)Denial shields the person from addressing the issue of death.
B)Denial helps shield family members from negative feelings.
C)Denial encourages the person to develop his or her understanding of what will happen after death.
D)Denial can lead the dying person to a perception of control over his or her circumstances.

Question 49

Approximately __________ of corpses are disposed of by burial.

A)one-quarter
B)one-third
C)two-thirds
D)three-quarters

Question 50

In what ways can denial of death be a positive response?

A)Denial can help one accept the reality of one's death.
B)Denial can soften the emotional impact of impending death.
C)Denial can help one prepare family members for one's death.
D)Denial can prevent one from receiving unnecessary medical interventions.

Question 51

The key feature of a successful program that helps widows adjust to the deaths of their spouses is:

A)involvement of volunteer widows as counselors.
B)participation of trained social workers.
C)supervision by clinical psychologists who specialize in bereavement.
D)a 12-step process of adjustment.

Question 52

Luka has just found out that she has cancer.She has told her daughter that she knows that she has the disease but is not really worried about dying from it,because she is convinced that her treatments will be completely effective.Luka may be engaging in:

A)denial.
B)bargaining.
C)terminal drop.
D)realistic acceptance.

Question 53

Three family members are discussing their mother's last days a few days after her funeral.They talk in detail about the symptoms the mother had and her day-to-day decline.Such conversation indicates:

A)an effort to emotionally deny the death.
B)our society's morbid fascination with death.
C)an effort to use grief to understand the death better.
D)contemporary society's lack of respect for the deceased.

Question 54

Marie's sister died 3 years ago.Marie is consistently bothered by sleeping problems,restlessness,and irritability.She often finds herself weeping uncontrollably because she misses her sister so much.Which of the following is probably TRUE of Marie?

A)She is recovering very quickly from her sister's death.
B)She is moving through the stages of grief and will eventually recover.
C)She is as recovered as one can hope to be from the death of a loved one.
D)She is experiencing an unusually long grief period and should seek help.

Question 55

According to Elisabeth Kübler-Ross,when a dying person finally accepts the fact of impending death and becomes depressed about it,which of the following would be most appropriate?

A)Remind the person of all his or her positive life achievements.
B)Tell humorous stories in order to help to cheer up the person.
C)Allow the person to experience and work through the depression.
D)Increase the person's medication so he or she will have fewer negative feelings.

Question 56

All but one of the following statements reflect Elisabeth Kübler-Ross' stages of dying.Which one is NOT true?

A)A person will become increasingly difficult to care for during the anger stage of dying.
B)A period of preparatory grief may appear during the depression stage of dying.
C)Family and friends should attempt to cheer up patients in the depression stage of dying.
D)The dying person often has a desire to be left alone during the acceptance stage of dying.

Question 57

Which of the following statements is an accurate criticism of Kübler-Ross' theory of dying?

A)She underestimated the amount of time that people remain in the anger stage.
B)She did not consider that men and women go through each stage differently.
C)Neither she nor independent research have demonstrated that the five stages actually exist.
D)She ignored the notion that most people do not even realize that they are dying.

Question 58

Which two factors may work together as an adaptive strategy for some older adults who face death?

A)perceived control and acceptance
B)autonomy and denial
C)coping skills and autonomy
D)denial and perceived control

Question 59

Which of the following deaths would probably be most difficult for the surviving family members to cope with?

A)Marcia,a 92-year-old woman who died suddenly and unexpectedly in her sleep.
B)Maurice,a 44-year-old father of two who was killed suddenly in a car accident.
C)Martha,a 62-year-old woman who died of scleroderma after fighting it for 3 years.
D)Marcus,a 32-year-old man who has succumbed after a long bout with testicular cancer.

Question 60

Most psychologists believe that it is best for dying individuals to:

A)be unaware of their condition.
B)limit their interactions with others.
C)be aware that they are dying.
D)distance themselves from others.

Question 61

Define euthanasia.Name and describe the two types of euthanasia.

Question 62

Allowing a person (who is suffering from an incurable disease or severe disabilities)to die by withholding available treatment such as turning off a respirator.

Question 63

Death induced deliberately for a person (who is suffering from an incurable disease or severe disabilities)by injecting a lethal dose of a drug.

Question 64

A program committed to making the end of life as free from pain,anxiety,and depression as possible.

Question 65

The crux of the recent controversy surrounding the funeral industry is whether:

A)cremation is prohibitively expensive.
B)closed caskets truly allow mourners to grieve in a healing way.
C)funeral directors are simply out to benefit financially.
D)funeral arrangements can be made in advance of death.

Question 66

Discuss the current legally accepted definition of brain death,and the criteria involved in its determination.

Question 67

Name at least four ways that people avoid and deny the reality of death in the United States.

Question 68

Distinguish between the goals of a hospital and hospice care.

Question 69

Esther attended her aunt's funeral,which was held in a barn.In the weeks after the funeral,Esther and other women go to her aunt's house to participate in quilting activities and other projects to help give the grieving family community support.Esther is living in which type of community?

A)Irish
B)Amish
C)Jewish
D)Hutterite

Question 70

List at least five suggestions for communicating with someone who is dying.

Question 71

This theorist was the first to propose a five stage model of dying,which begins with denial and ends with acceptance of death.

Question 72

List Elisabeth Kübler-Ross' five stages of dying.

Question 73

Define and discuss the purpose of a living will.

Question 74

Approximately __________ of corpses are disposed of by cremation.

A)one-quarter
B)one-third
C)two-thirds
D)three-quarters

Question 75

List and briefly describe Elisabeth Kübler-Ross' five stages of dying.

Question 76

The emotional numbness,disbelief,separation anxiety,despair,sadness,and loneliness that accompanies the loss of someone a person loves.

Question 77

Traditional Amish and Jewish cultures are similar in how they cope with death in that they both:

A)have important roles of the family during and after the loss.
B)have elaborate funeral ceremonies in churches to symbolize the last passage from Earth.
C)believe that grief is stronger for the collective community than for the individual family.
D)expect families to unite and cope with only minimal support from the rest of the community.

Question 78

The dead are most likely to be cremated in:

A)the United States.
B)Mexico.
C)Canada.
D)Japan.

Question 79

Why do some medical experts argue that the criteria for death should include only higher cortical functioning?

Question 80

A kind of medical treatment which involves reducing pain and suffering and helping individuals die with dignity.