Deck 18: Death and Dying

Question 1

When Elisabeth Kübler-Ross began her research on death and dying in the 1960s, she commonly observed all of the following EXCEPT:

A) patients were sometimes not told they had a terminal diagnosis
B) doctors and nurses seemed to avoid patients who were dying
C) doctors and nurses provided better and more attentive care, but only after a terminal diagnosis was certain
D) patients were discouraged from talking about their own deaths

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Jodi is dying from a rare blood disorder, but insists that her doctor has made a mistake in the diagnosis. Jodi's reaction is best considered to be an example of which of Kübler-Ross's five stages of dying?

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

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The text notes that today in the United States, we live in an era of "invisible death." By this, the text means that:

A) the rituals surrounding death are very clear and well understood by members of our culture
B) we often cope with death by denying its existence in our lives
C) most people die while they are unconscious, thus the last moments of life are peaceful
D) the terror surrounding death is paralyzing and therefore we seldom see death approaching us

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Generalizing from the text, terror management theory seems to provide the best predictions for which of the following groups of people?

A) older people from collectivist cultures
B) older people from individualist cultures
C) younger people from collectivist cultures
D) younger people from individualist cultures

Question 5

Brittany, age 23, has just been told by her doctor that she has only a few months to live due to a heart ailment. Her reaction is to say that the diagnosis must be wrong and to seek out opinions from other doctors. Brittany's reaction is best considered to be an example of which of Kübler-Ross's five stages of dying?

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

Question 6

According to the theory set forth by Kübler-Ross, the stage of adjustment in which the terminal patient has recognized that death will come is called:

A) acceptance
B) depression
C) anticipatory grief
D) bereavement overload

Question 7

Between 2003 and 2010, the number of hospice patients served in the United States:

A) decreased very slightly
B) remained about the same
C) increased very slightly
D) increased by about 65%

Question 8

A small town has experienced an unusually high suicide rate in recent years. Local officials try to prevent future suicides by concentrating their efforts on those most likely to commit suicide. These people would be:

A) women under age 21
B) women between ages 21 and 35
C) men under age 21
D) men over age 75

Question 9

Terry, a 73-year-old widower, was in the hospital for six months with cancer. Finally, the painful treatments got to be too much for him and he just gave up and let himself die. This passive form of suicide is best considered to be an example of:

A) suicide-by-proxy
B) anticipatory suicide
C) submissive death
D) unilateral death

Question 10

According to the work of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, which of the following statements best reflects the anger stage of dying?

A) "I'm a goner."
B) "The doctor has given me the wrong diagnosis."
C) "Why me?"
D) "How can I get out of this?"

Question 11

Of the children who die before they reach age 18, the largest percentage falls into which of the following age group?

A) age 0 to age 1
B) age 1 to age 4
C) age 5 to age 9
D) age 15 to age 19
Applied questions:

Question 12

In 1900, the death rate of U.S. children under the age of 5 was ____; in 2009 it was ____.

A) 8%; 4%
B)18%; 8%
C) 50%; 5%
D) 30%; 1.5%

Question 13

According to research cited in the text, when caregivers were asked to comment about the relief they felt following their loved one's death, about ____ reported that death was a relief to them and about ____ reported that they felt it provided a welcome relief to the person who died.

A) 5%; 50%
B) 35%; 55%
C) 50%; 50%
D) 72%; 90%

Question 14

The text points out an inconsistency between hospice care and hospital care. Which of the following best captures the sense of that inconsistency?

A) Hospitals focus on keeping patients alive, whereas hospice is focused on helping a person die.
B) In a hospital, decisions about extending life are made by the patient but in hospice care trained professionals make these decisions for the patient.
C) Most real care in hospitals is done by nurses but in hospice care the real care is done by physicians.
D) Most hospital care is covered by insurance but hospice care is hardly ever covered by insurance.
Applied questions:

Question 15

Statistically speaking, which of the following people would be at the highest risk of suicide?

A) a married woman
B) a married man
C) a man who has just become a widower
D) a woman who has just become a widow

Question 16

A legal document that informs both family and health-care workers of the signer's wish to avoid the use of "heroic measures" to maintain life in the event of irreversible illness is called a(n):

A) donor's will
B) medical power of attorney
C) intestate will
D) living will

Question 17

The goal of hospice is to:

A) keep down the cost of health care
B) prevent contamination from contagious diseases
C) help terminally ill patients live their final days as fully and independently as possible
D) allow the terminally ill person a spiritual retreat before death

Question 18

MacDonald's has established a network of "Ronald McDonald" houses near major hospitals so that families of very ill children will have a place to stay while visiting their ill child. This charity is best considered to be an example of:

A) hospice care
B) palliative care
C) bereavement assistance
D) grief work

Question 19

According to terror management theory, thinking about one's own death leads to which of the following?

A) denial
B) despair
C) confusion
D) a stronger self-concept

Question 20

George is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, so he and his wife consult an attorney to draw up and sign documents giving George's wife the legal authority to make decisions about George's care. Such a document is called:

A) living will
B) a probated will
C) a medical power of attorney
D) a right to die document

Question 21

Suppose you conduct a research study in China, which has a collectivist culture, and the Unites Stated. In your study, you encourage adults in both cultures to think about and write about their own deaths. Generalizing from similar research described in the text, you should expect that the U.S. participants in your study will experience a greater tendency to focus on _________ and that their self-esteem will ___________, relative to the Chinese participants.

A) collectivism; increase
B) collectivism; decrease
C) individualism; increase
D) individualism; decrease

Question 22

According to the text, in the United States today, death usually occurs in:

A) hospices
B) the home
C) the workplace
D) hospitals

Question 23

If you asked a young person and an older adult, "If you knew you had 2 months to live, what would you most want to do," you would expect that the young person would say__________ and the older adult would say_______________:

A) spend time with family and friends; travel and experience the world
B) travel and experience the world; spend time with family and friends
C) spend time with family and friends; spend time with family and friends
D) travel and experience the world; travel and experience the world

Question 24

If you asked an older adult, "If you knew you had 2 months to live, what would you most want to do?" the most typical response would be:

A) spend more time with my family and friends
B) take time to do the things I've always wanted to do but have never had time for
C) travel and read
D) kill myself

Question 25

Generalizing from the text's discussion of how death is considered today in Western societies, which of the following terms best characterizes how people in these societies deal with death?

A) acceptance
B) anger
C) worry
D) denial

Question 26

Christiansen believes that thinking about death is very frightening to most people, and they cope by becoming more attentive to others around them, thereby enhancing their own self-esteem. Dr. Christiansen's beliefs are most similar to those advanced by:

A) Freud's theory of psychosexual development
B) Erikson's conceptualization of the stage of generativity versus stagnation
C) Erikson's conceptualization the stage of integrity versus despair
D) terror management theory

Question 27

According to the work of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, which of the following statements best reflects the anger stage of dying?

A) "I'm a goner."
B) "The doctor has given me the wrong diagnosis."
C) "Why me?"
D) "How can I get out of this?"

Question 28

According to terror management theory, death is a cause for:

A) anger
B) despair
C) inspiration
D) denial

Question 29

According to terror management theory, thinking about one's own death leads to which of the following?

A) denial
B) despair
C) confusion
D) a stronger self-concept

Question 30

According to the text

A) more; consistent
B) more; inconsistent
C) less; consistent
D) less; inconsistent

Question 31

Which of the following people was the researcher who studied the way people typically adjust to their own death and who identified five stages that many people go through as they prepare for their own death?

A) Mary Ainsworth
B) Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
C) Anna Erikson
D) Robert Havighurst

Question 32

Generalizing from the text, terror management theory seems to provide the best predictions for which of the following groups of people?

A) older people from collectivist cultures
B) older people from individualist cultures
C) younger people from collectivist cultures
D) younger people from individualist cultures

Question 33

Up until the middle of the 20th century, in the United States death usually occurred in:

A) hospitals
B) hospices
C) the home
D) nursing homes

Question 34

The text notes that today in the United States, we live in an era of "invisible death." By this, the text means that:

A) the rituals surrounding death are very clear and well understood by members of our culture
B) we often cope with death by denying its existence in our lives
C) most people die while they are unconscious, thus the last moments of life are peaceful
D) the terror surrounding death is paralyzing and therefore we seldom see death approaching us

Question 35

If you asked a high school student, "If you knew you had 2 months to live, what would you most want to do?" the most typical response would be:

A) spend more time with my family
B) spend more time with my friends
C) travel and do the things that I want to do but have not yet had the chance
D) kill myself

Question 36

In comparison to how developmental psychologists engaged with the study of death a few decades ago, today there is _____ interest in studying death and psychologists know _____ about how people approach and experience their own death, as well as the deaths of others.

A) more; more
B) more; less
C) less; more
D) less; less

Question 37

When Elisabeth Kübler-Ross began her research on death and dying in the 1960s, she commonly observed all of the following EXCEPT:

A) patients were sometimes not told they had a terminal diagnosis
B) doctors and nurses seemed to avoid patients who were dying
C) doctors and nurses provided better and more attentive care, but only after a terminal diagnosis was certain
D) patients were discouraged from talking about their own deaths

Question 38

Which of the following lists the five stages of death and dying described by Kübler-Ross in the correct order?

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

Question 39

According to research described in the text, _______ individuals and those with _______ religious beliefs are typically found to have the least anxiety about their own death.

A) younger; strong
B) younger; no
C) older; strong
D) older; no

Question 40

In comparison to how dying patients were cared for four or five decades ago, today medical staff members are _____ likely to encourage dying patients to talk about their impending deaths and are _____ likely to be trained in caring for terminally patients.

A) less; less
B) less; more
C) more; less
D) more; more

Question 41

A man dying of lung cancer asks his doctor to confirm that he will be cured from his cancer if he quits smoking. According to the theory set forth by Kübler-Ross, this man is most likely in the stage of:

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

Question 42

According to the theory set forth by Kübler-Ross, the stage of adjustment in which the terminal patient has recognized that death will come is called:

A) acceptance
B) depression
C) anticipatory grief
D) bereavement overload

Question 43

According to research cited in the text, when caregivers were asked to comment about the relief they felt following their loved one's death, about ____ reported that death was a relief to them and about ____ reported that they felt it provided a welcome relief to the person who died.

A) 5%; 50%
B) 35%; 55%
C) 50%; 50%
D) 72%; 90%

Question 44

According to the text, the term "submissive death" refers to which of the following circumstances?

A) when palliative care is unavailable
B) when the family withdraws life support
C) when the ill person neglects his or her own needs
D) when death occurs suddenly

Question 45

According to the text, what should health-care providers do if a terminally ill patient is not progressing through the 5 stages of death in the proper sequence or is stuck in one stage for too long a period of time?

A) encourage the person to spend more time thinking about death
B) suggest the person reconsider his or her religious beliefs
C) allow the person to follow whatever path he or she chooses toward death
D) refer the person for a psychological evaluation and possible counseling

Question 46

According to the theory proposed by Kübler-Ross, the stage of adjustment in which the terminal patient feels frustrated by the fact that plans and dreams will not be fulfilled is called:

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

Question 47

Andrea, age 45, has developed a sense of hopelessness over her terminal illness, and she especially mourns the approaching separation from her friends and family. Andrea's reaction is best considered to be an example of which of Kübler-Ross's five stages of dying?

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

Question 48

Jodi is dying from a rare blood disorder, but insists that her doctor has made a mistake in the diagnosis. Jodi's reaction is best considered to be an example of which of Kübler-Ross's five stages of dying?

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

Question 49

Yolanda is dying from cancer. She promises God that she will remarry her ex-husband if she is freed from the disease. Yolanda's reaction is best considered to be an example of which of Kübler-Ross's five stages of dying?

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

Question 50

In the U. S. today, the ideal death trajectory is:

A) to die in battle, fighting for one's country
B) to die suddenly, without warning
C) to have about 6 months after the diagnosis of a terminal illness to adjust
D) to have 2-3 years after the diagnosis of a terminal illness to adjust

Question 51

A terminally ill patient keeps saying, "This can't be happening to me." This patient's reaction is best considered to be an example of which of Kübler-Ross's five stages of dying?

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

Question 52

According to the view of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, the stage of adjustment to dying in which the person searches for a more promising diagnosis is called:

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

Question 53

Brittany, age 23, has just been told by her doctor that she has only a few months to live due to a heart ailment. Her reaction is to say that the diagnosis must be wrong and to seek out opinions from other doctors. Brittany's reaction is best considered to be an example of which of Kübler-Ross's five stages of dying?

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

Question 54

According to the text, the term that is used to describe the situation where people fail to take care of themselves and essentially contribute to their own premature death is which of the following?

A) suicidal erosion
B) anticipatory death
C) anticipatory suicide
D) submissive death

Question 55

Research studies of how people actually progress through Kübler-Ross's stages of dying suggests that ______ people experience the 5 stages she identified and these 5 stages are _______ experienced in the order she specified.

A) all; always
B) all; sometimes
C) most; always
D) most; sometimes

Question 56

When Rod was diagnosed with terminal cancer, he sought out another doctor to get a different diagnosis. Rod's reaction is best considered to be an example of which of Kübler-Ross's five stages of dying?

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

Question 57

Gordie promises that if God will just give him six months more to live, he will give up smoking and be a better husband. Gordie's reaction is best considered to be an example of which of Kübler-Ross's five stages of dying:

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

Question 58

According to the theory set forth by Kübler-Ross, the stage of adjustment in which the terminal patient grieves for the people and things that will be left behind after death is called:

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

Question 59

Lyle, who is about to die of cancer, has stopped fighting the illness and now awaits his fate quietly. Lyle's reaction is best considered to be an example of which of Kübler-Ross's five stages of dying?

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

Question 60

Edie, age 33, is full of resentment and envy because a terminal illness is going to cut short her career as a writer. Edie's reaction is best considered to be an example of which of Kübler-Ross's five stages of dying?

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

Question 61

Suicide that occurs when one simply gives up and allows oneself die is called:

A) submissive death
B) suicidal erosion
C) vital loss
D) palliative suicide

Question 62

A small town has experienced an unusually high suicide rate in recent years. Local officials try to prevent future suicides by concentrating their efforts on those most likely to commit suicide. These people would be:

A) women under age 21
B) women between ages 21 and 35
C) men under age 21
D) men over age 75

Question 63

Which of the following is NOT true regarding hospice care?

A) Hospice care is usually covered by insurance.
B) Hospice care is designed to help the ill person live as independently as possible.
C) Hospice care is designed to help the family of the ill person understand the process of dying.
D) Hospice care originated in the late 1800s in New England.

Question 64

For White adults over the age 85, which of the following is true?

A) Men are 10 times more likely to commit suicide than women.
B) Women are 10 times more likely to commit suicide than men.
C) Men are 4 times more likely to commit suicide than women.
D) Women are 4 times more likely to commit suicide than men.

Question 65

Statistically speaking, which of the following people would be at the highest risk of suicide?

A) a younger man who has just become a widower
B) a younger women who has just become a widow
C) an older man who has just become a widower
D) an older woman who has just become a widow

Question 66

About how many hospice programs are currently certified in the United States?

A) 50, which is 1 per state
B) 101, which is 2 per state, plus 1 in the District of Columbia
C) about 2,000
D) more than 5,000

Question 67

Between 2003 and 2010, the number of hospice patients served in the United States:

A) decreased very slightly
B) remained about the same
C) increased very slightly
D) increased by about 65%

Question 68

Sally is in the final stage of full-blown AIDS. She lives at her home, is visited daily by her physician and staff, and receives spiritual guidance from the pastor of her church. The staff of a local organization that coordinates Sally's care also provides bereavement care to her family. The goal of Sally's caregivers is to help her live out her days as fully and independently as possible. The type of care that Sally is receiving is best thought of as an example of:

A) hospice care
B) outpatient care
C) natural care
D) adult day care

Question 69

The greatest number of suicides occurs among:

A) female adolescents
B) male adolescents
C) older women
D) older men

Question 70

Karen has a terminal illness. She is considering living out her days as independently and painlessly as possible in a residential facility designed to provide assistance and comfort to dying patients. The care she is seeking is often referred to as:

A) respite care
B) hospice care
C) a halfway house program
D) a bereavement setting

Question 71

The goal of hospice is to:

A) keep down the cost of health care
B) prevent contamination from contagious diseases
C) help terminally ill patients live their final days as fully and independently as possible
D) allow the terminally ill person a spiritual retreat before death

Question 72

Terry, a 73-year-old widower, was in the hospital for six months with cancer. Finally, the painful treatments got to be too much for him and he just gave up and let himself die. This passive form of suicide is best considered to be an example of:

A) suicide-by-proxy
B) anticipatory suicide
C) submissive death
D) unilateral death

Question 73

Compared to the suicide rate at age 50, the suicide rate at age 85 is _____ for men and _____ for women.

A) much higher; much higher
B) slightly lower; slightly higher
C) about the same; slightly higher
D) considerably higher, slightly lower

Question 74

If all of the following people are the same age, who is statistically most likely to commit suicide?

A) Alan, a White man
B) Jeffrey, a Black man
C) Lacey, a Black women
D) Juan, a Hispanic man

Question 75

Statistics indicate that, among those age 85 and older, for every 100 women who commit suicide, about ____ men commit suicide.

A) 100
B) 200
C) 400
D) 1,000

Question 76

If all of the following people are the same age, who is statistically LEAST likely to commit suicide?

A) Tasha, a Black woman
B) Ryan, a Black man
C) Lindsey, a White woman
D) Robert, a White man

Question 77

Statistically speaking, which of the following people would be at the highest risk of suicide?

A) a married woman
B) a married man
C) a man who has just become a widower
D) a woman who has just become a widow

Question 78

If you examined a stack of death certificates of White people age 85 and older who died of suicide and find that 100 of these belong to women, you would guess that the number of men's records in this stack would number about:

A) 100
B) 200
C) 400
D) 1,000

Question 79

Lance's doctor told him 15 years ago that if he did not change his lifestyle, the drinking, smoking, and drug abuse were going to kill him. Lance didn't heed the warning, claiming that if he died no one would miss him anyway, and now he has died. Lance's situation is best considered to be an example of:

A) suicidal erosion
B) passive death
C) assisted suicide
D) unilateral death

Question 80

According to research cited in the text

A) are more likely to become depressed
B) have weaker coping skills
C) survive longer
D) help their friends and relatives grieve more successfully after they die