Mid-Unit 1 Asemmment

1. Reread this excerpt from Patient Zero, and follow the prompt below.

“Snow was sent to the mining town of Killingworth, were the first of the great cholera epidemics of the 19th century was devastating the population. There, he struggled for weeks to help the sick and dying, seeing firsthand the terrible conditions in which the miners were forced to work.” (41)

Select a phrase that helps the reader determine the meaning of devastating in this excerpt.

• struggled for weeks

• sick and dying

• seeing firsthand

• terrible conditions

2. Reread the following excerpt from Patient Zero, and answer the question below.

“Since the disease clearly affected the digestive system, wasn’t it reasonable to assume that the ‘poison’ causing cholera was something that you ingested—something in food or water?” (41)

What is the meaning of ingested as it is used in this sentence?

• took into the body through the mouth

• laid aside without thought

• made sure to hide from others

• came in contact with the skin

3. Reread the following excerpt from Patient Zero, and answer the question below.

“Today we realize that unhygienic conditions are a perfect breeding ground for disease, but at the time, Snow’s observations were unorthodox. The medical thinking of the day held that cholera and other diseases were the results of ‘miasma,’ a fog of infected air rising from piles of garbage and sewage” (41).

What does unorthodox most likely mean in this sentence?

• unhelpful

• unreasonable

• unusual

• unwelcome

4. Reread the following excerpt from Patient Zero, and follow the prompt below.

“The theory of miasma seemed full of logical inconsistencies, but he had no way of knowing” (43).

What does inconsistencies most likely mean in this sentence?

• reasonable sounding

• able to be figured out

• not going according to plan

• things that don’t hold together or make sense together

5. How is the section “The Great Debate: Miasma or Germs” of chapter 2 in Patient Zero mainly structured?

• by narrating stories about scientists in chronological order

• as an explanation of the history of ideas about the causes of disease

• as a list of definitions focused on specific diseases caused by germs or miasma

• by contrasting John Snow’s and Florence Nightingale’s views of miasmas and germs

6. How is the rest of the excerpt about John Snow on pages 41–44 mainly structured?

• as an argument about why Snow began studying medicine

• as an examination of vocabulary that may be unfamiliar to readers

• as a detailed description of the setting where the major events happen

• as a presentation of Snow’s argument that miasma did not cause disease

7. What key information does “The Great Debate: Miasma or Germs” on page 42 provide?

• Cholera was the first disease caused by germs.

• Miasma was a long-lasting and widely accepted idea.

• Nightingale’s beliefs prevented her from being helpful.

• Koch was the one who got credit for discovering germs.

8. How does the section “The Great Debate: Miasma or Germs” (42) add to the description of John Snow’s investigation (41, 43–44) and our understanding of the significance of his ideas? Write a paragraph in which you use at least two specific pieces of evidence from the text to support your answer.

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9. How does the information in the section "The Great Debate: Miasma or Germs” contribute to your understanding of the rest of the text on pages 41–44?

• by showing how John Snow first developed his ideas that led to innovations

• by showing how John Snow first developed his ideas that led to innovations by showing how understanding where words come from can help in science

• by providing an explanation for why Snow’s theory of germs was remarkable

• by providing an explanation for why Snow’s theory of germs was remarkable by providing information about why London was the perfect place to investigate