Deck 23: Dying and Death

Question 1

Which of the following statements is false regarding the predominant attitude in the U.S.toward death?

A)A majority of Americans witness the death of at least one loved one during their lifetimes.
B)Instead of facing death directly,people tend to amuse themselves with unrealistic portrayals on TV and movies.
C)Those who view death as a relief from pain may have a partial sense of welcoming death.
D)Many people seek to avoid any thought or mention of death and,instead of facing death directly,people tend to amuse themselves with unrealistic portrayals on TV and movies.

Answer 1

A majority of Americans witness the death of at least one loved one during their lifetimes.

Question 2

Día de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday

A)celebrated in the spring.
B)commemorating children who have died.
C)reflecting the belief that the dead return to Earth as spirits once a year.
D)characterized by solemn events and traditions.

Answer 2

reflecting the belief that the dead return to Earth as spirits once a year.

Question 3

When someone dies without a will,the state distributes property according to

A)state rules.
B)decisions by a court-appointed administrator.
C)the wishes of the deceased,if known.
D)the wishes of the family.

Answer 3

state rules.

Question 4

The term that means "having made no legal will" is

A)intestate.
B)testator.
C)probate.
D)surrogacy.

Question 5

Hospice care requires a doctor's certification that a patient's life expectancy is

A)2 years or less.
B)1 year or less.
C)6 months or less.
D)1 month or less.

Question 6

Hospitals' palliative care units

A)provide short-term intensive treatment.
B)focus on patient recovery.
C)focus on controlling pain and relieving suffering.
D)encourage experimental medical treatments.

Question 7

Which of the following statements is FALSE regarding Dia de los Muertos?

A)It is a holiday that coincides with All Soul's Day.
B)It is a holiday when graves are decorated with bright yellow flowers.
C)It is a two-day holiday when dead children and adults are honored.
D)It is a sad day of quiet mourning for the dead.

Question 8

A comprehensive program that offers a set of services designed to support terminally ill patients and their families is termed

A)hospice.
B)passive euthanasia.
C)active euthanasia.
D)an advance medical directive.

Question 9

The Harvard criteria for brain death require additional testing after _____ hours have elapsed after the first tests.

A)12
B)24
C)48
D)There are no additional tests.

Question 10

A component of a mature understanding of death in which all living things eventually die is known as

A)nonfunctionality.
B)irreversibility.
C)universality.
D)causality.

Question 11

Which is the most appropriate end-of-life option for someone who has chosen to be an organ donor?

A)a "green" burial
B)hospice care
C)institutional care
D)passive euthanasia

Question 12

Society's unrealistic picture of death can be seen in

A)television and video games.
B)high school textbooks.
C)theatrical productions.
D)athletic programs.

Question 13

When supportive medical technologies are in use,the concept of ________ is used to determine if someone is alive or dead.

A)brain death
B)clinical death
C)cessation of the flow of bodily fluids
D)cellular death

Question 14

The belief that humans survive in some form after death is

A)denial.
B)universality.
C)noncorporeal continuity.
D)nonfunctionality.

Question 15

Which one of the following is not true of a hospice program?

A)It provides support for dying at home if that is the patient's wish
B)It encourages patients to make decisions about their care.
C)It provides emotional support for the survivors.
D)It provides experimental medical treatments.

Question 16

Approximately 50 percent of Americans die

A)at home.
B)in a nursing home.
C)in a friend's or loved one's home.
D)in a hospital.

Question 17

The testator of a will is the

A)legal representative drawing up the will.
B)person making the will.
C)accumulated estate.
D)executor of the estate.

Question 18

Basic tasks in planning for death should include all of the following except

A)making a will.
B)confronting people you dislike.
C)considering organ donation.
D)anticipating medical needs.

Question 19

Which of the following statements is false regarding a will?

A)It is a basic task everyone should attend to when planning for death.
B)Once a will is established,it cannot be legally altered or changed.
C)Dying without having made a will can lead to unnecessary hardship for survivors.
D)A majority of Americans die without leaving a will.

Question 20

Termination of metabolic processes is called _____ death.

A)cellular
B)biological
C)brain
D)clinical

Question 21

Which of the following statements is true regarding physician-assisted suicide?

A)The physician provides and administers the lethal drugs.
B)It is legal in the United States in only one state.
C)At the patient's explicit request,it allows a doctor to inject the patient with a fatal drug.
D)The physician provides and administers the lethal drugs and,at the patient's explicit request,it allows a doctor to inject the patient with a fatal drug.

Question 22

Which one of the following is a goal of hospice care?

A)to support the patient and family
B)to prolong life
C)to hasten death
D)to support the patient and family and to hasten death

Question 23

A basic task of planning for death that is important for everyone is

A)attending a church or other place of worship.
B)finding long-lost relatives.
C)planning for after-death concerns such as organ donation and memorial services.
D)reconciling with estranged family members and friends.

Question 24

The intentional termination of life at the patient's request by someone other than the patient is termed

A)involuntary euthanasia.
B)double euthanasia.
C)passive euthanasia.
D)voluntary euthanasia.

Question 25

The most common method of body disposal in the United States is

A)cadaver donation to medical schools.
B)mummification.
C)burial or cremation.
D)medical harvesting.

Question 26

When a physician administers medication to relieve severe pain in a terminally ill patient,and the medication also hastens the patient's death,the situation is called

A)physician-assisted suicide.
B)passive euthanasia.
C)double effect.
D)active euthanasia.

Question 27

One method of disposition of a corpse is to subject the body to intense heat,a process commonly known as

A)burial.
B)incarceration.
C)entombment.
D)cremation.

Question 28

Active euthanasia is

A)withdrawing or withholding treatment.
B)a deliberate act intended to end another person's life.
C)legal in the United States.
D)defined as "letting nature take its course."

Question 29

Voluntary active euthanasia is illegal in the United States,but it is legal in

A)England.
B)Belgium.
C)Sweden.
D)France.

Question 30

The "right to die" issue came to national attention in 1975 with the landmark case involving

A)Nancy Cruzan.
B)Karen Ann Quinlan.
C)Jane Roe.
D)Dr.Jack Kevorkian.

Question 31

Helping a patient hasten death by knowingly providing lethal drugs or other interventions is called

A)physician-assisted suicide.
B)passive euthanasia.
C)active euthanasia.
D)palliative care.

Question 32

A person appointed by a patient to make medical decisions for the patient if the patient is unable to do so is

A)an attorney.
B)a surrogate.
C)a spouse.
D)a parent.

Question 33

Involuntary euthanasia refers to

A)the patient's choice to end life.
B)ending of a patient's life by a medical practitioner without the patient's consent.
C)ending of a patient's life by a medical practitioner at the request of the patient's family.
D)ending of a patient's life by mistake.

Question 34

A condition of profound unconsciousness with no reasonable hope for improvement is known as

A)clinical death.
B)a coma.
C)brain death.
D)a persistent vegetative state.

Question 35

Passed by Oregon voters in 1994,the Death with Dignity Act permits the use of

A)physician-assisted suicide.
B)active euthanasia.
C)a health care proxy.
D)an advance directive.

Question 36

Which of the following statements is false regarding living wills?

A)They express wishes regarding medical care in case of incapacitation.
B)They require physician certification that a terminal condition exists.
C)They can be written to cover many different types of medical contingencies.
D)They differ in format from state to state.

Question 37

Most patients who receive hospice care do so

A)in a hospital
B)in a nursing home
C)in a hospice ward
D)at home

Question 38

What nearly universal piece of identification can be used to identify organ donors?

A)library card
B)driver's license
C)Social Security card
D)military ID

Question 39

A doctrine that states a harmful effect of treatment,even if it results in death,is permissible if the harm is not intended and occurs as a side effect of a beneficial action,is termed

A)unintended effect.
B)palliative effect.
C)double effect.
D)active effect.

Question 40

An example of passive euthanasia is

A)withdrawing life-sustaining treatment such as artificial respiration.
B)providing drugs to a person that will facilitate her or his suicide.
C)finding a physician who will facilitate the death of a gravely ill person.
D)using a mechanical device for lethal injection.

Question 41

All of the following are true about a "green" burial except

A)bodies are wrapped only in cloth.
B)bodies are embalmed.
C)bodies are buried directly in the ground instead of using a vault.
D)bodies are not put into a casket.

Question 42

Psychiatrist Avery Weisman identifies the time during terminal illness when the patient both sustains hope and acknowledges reality as

A)coping.
B)middle knowledge.
C)bargaining.
D)acceptance.

Question 43

Which of the following is not considered a possible solution to the organ shortage?

A)financial rewards to the families of donors
B)increased use of devices such as heart pacemakers that replace organs
C)improvements to hospitals' implementation of palliative care
D)the use of stem cells to replace cells in damaged organs

Question 44

What is typically the most expensive part of a funeral?

A)the ceremony
B)the embalming process
C)the casket
D)the burial

Question 45

During this phase of coping with dying,the terminally ill patient attempts to live with the disease.

A)acute
B)chronic
C)terminal
D)recovery

Question 46

Themes identified by researchers as components of a "good death" include all of the following except

A)pain management.
B)preparation for death.
C)reliving past disappointments.
D)contributing to others.

Question 47

Probably the most helpful way a bereaved person can cope with the intense feelings of grief is to

A)become isolated.
B)use denial to filter the shock of the death.
C)express his or her feelings.
D)get involved in activities that provide distraction from thinking about the death.

Question 48

The process of removing blood and other fluids and replacing them with chemicals to temporarily retard deterioration of a corpse is termed

A)entombing.
B)encoating.
C)embalming.
D)mummification.

Question 49

The proportion of people who experience full-blown post-traumatic stress disorder and never fully recover is approximately

A)one tenth.
B)one half.
C)one fifth.
D)one third.

Question 50

Which of the following types of organ transplants has the least potential for rejection problems?

A)xenotransplant
B)living donor transplant
C)cadaveric transplant
D)autograft

Question 51

People who cope best with life-threatening illness usually exhibit all of the following except

A)a fighting spirit.
B)a willingness to succumb to pessimism.
C)an effort to inform themselves about their illness.
D)taking an active part in treatment decisions.

Question 52

The organization that is composed of parents who have lost their children is called

A)Parents Anonymous.
B)Grieving Moms and Dads.
C)Compassionate Friends.
D)We Care.

Question 53

The dimension of coping with dying that encompasses satisfying bodily needs,according to Corr,is

A)physical.
B)psychological.
C)social.
D)spiritual.

Question 54

People who seem "stuck" in the grieving process and lose the ability to cope with daily living are said to be experiencing

A)total grief.
B)complicated grief.
C)extreme grief.
D)mourning.

Question 55

The middle phase of grief is characterized by

A)numbness.
B)disorientation.
C)shock.
D)pain of separation.

Question 56

The development of primary dimensions for coping with dying is attributed to

A)Kübler-Ross.
B)Jack Kevorkian.
C)Hans Selye.
D)Charles Corr.

Question 57

All of the following are stages of dying as defined by Kübler-Ross except

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

Question 58

Providing social support to a grieving person helps a survivor

A)make judgments about funeral arrangements.
B)determine his or her own need for professional help.
C)acknowledge the bad times as well as the good.
D)move forward and face the world with confidence.

Question 59

Worden's tasks of mourning include all of the following except

A)accepting reality.
B)establishing a memorial for the deceased.
C)working through the pain.
D)adjusting to a changed environment.

Question 60

Identifying,developing,or reaffirming sources of meaning and fostering hope is characteristic of Corr's dimension of _____ coping.

A)physical
B)psychological
C)social
D)spiritual

Question 61

A basic task in planning for death is anticipating medical care needs.

Question 62

The case of Terry Schiavo in 2003 demonstrated that indicating in advance,in writing,one's own preferences for life-sustaining treatment has little value.

Question 63

American culture amuses itself with unrealistic portrayals of death.

Question 64

The case of Karen Ann Quinlan involved the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment.

Question 65

Avoidance or denial of death allows individuals to better acknowledge the inevitability of death.

Question 66

Many people seek to avoid any thought or mention of death.

Question 67

Cancer is the most common diagnosis for hospice patients.

Question 68

Giving terminally ill people a medication that will cause them to peacefully stop breathing is an example of passive euthanasia.

Question 69

A testamentary letter is a document that informs a dying person's survivors of various types of important personal information,such as bank accounts,the location of keys,and the names of people who should be notified of the death.

Question 70

One of the characteristics of brain death can be revealed by a flat tracing on an electroencephalogram.

Question 71

The practice of withholding treatment that could potentially sustain life is termed active euthanasia.

Question 72

Children usually gain an accurate understanding of the finality of death between the ages of 5 and 9.

Question 73

A mature understanding of death eliminates anxiety about it.

Question 74

The most definitive determination of death is cessation of respiration and heartbeat.

Question 75

Palliative care is a form of acute care.

Question 76

It is not unusual for a child to think of death as something that is reversible.

Question 77

Individuals who hold a mature understanding of death commonly hold ideas that have no scientific proof.

Question 78

Injecting lethal medications into a person who has no chance of recovery is a form of passive euthanasia.

Question 79

Clinical death and cellular death are defined using the same criteria.

Question 80

One goal of hospice care is to counsel family members after a patient's death.