Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Chapter 1-2)

How many of Henrietta's cells are currently alive today? Choose the answer that is most accurate.

• trillions

• there is no way to know

• 50 million tons worth

• thousands

Where does the author first learn about Henrietta?

• from a documentary

• from a science teacher

• from a movie program

• fom a textbook

In the sentence, "Scientists had been trying to keep human cells alive in culture for decades, but they all eventually died," the term "in culture" most likely means what?

• the act of giving a a living organism the appreciation of culture

• the customary beliefs and practices of a society

• the act of keeping bacteria or cells alive in a laboratory environment.

• the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement

Which context clues let us know that the meaning of "in culture" most likely means the act of keeping bacteria or cells alive in a laboratory environment?

"Scientists had been trying to keep human cells alive in culture for decades, but they all eventually died. Henrietta's were different: they reproduced an entire generation every twenty-four hours, and they never stopped. They became the first immortal human cells ever grown in a laboratory.

• "scientists"

• "culture"

• "eventually died"

• "cells" and "laboratory"

Why would the author describe the anatomy of a cell with the following metaphor, "The cytoplasm buzzes like a New York City street."

• she has been to New York and likes how busy it is

• help the reader understand that the cytoplasm makes a noise like a "buzz"

• help the reader understand how busy the cytoplasm is with an understandable comparison

• there was no specific reasoning for this description

Which phrase supports the conclusion that Henrietta didn't want to impose on others.

• "She simply went on with her day as if nothing had happened" (Skloot 26).

• "You better take me to the doctor." I'm bleedin and it ain't my time" (Skloot 15).

• "Then he told Henrietta to go home" (Skloot 17).

• "Henrietta and the cousins would help unhitch the horses and fill their troughs with grain" (Skloot 21).

What does the author mean when she writes, "Gey hired Mary for her hands."

• Gey likes the size and shape of Mary's hands

• Mary is able to work well with her hands and can do the job well.

• Gey wanted Mary's hands for his own

• Gey expected Mary to use her hands

What does the term "booming" mean in the following sentence:

"By winter, the United States was at war and tobacco companies were supplying free cigarettes to soldiers, so the market was booming. But as large farms flourished, the small ones struggled.

• make a loud, deep sound.

• say in a loud, deep voice

• having a period of great prosperity or rapid economic growth

What context clues let you know that the term "booming" most likely means a period of economic growth?

"By winter, the United States was at war and tobacco companies were supplying free cigarettes to soldiers, so the market was booming. But as large farms flourished, the small ones struggled.

• "By winter"

• "But" and "flourished"

• "supplying free cigarettes"

• "struggled"

Why did Henrietta go to the doctor?

• She was pregnant

• She was worried about her son

• She had found a lump on her cervix

• She had STDs