Written comprehension

Read the two texts before answering the questions. When quoting from the text,
always give the number of the lines.

TEXT 1
1. How are Anna and Kate related?
They are sisters.
1
2. How was Anna conceived? Quote from the text.
(Line 2) They went to special doctors and everything, and picked the
embryo that would be a perfect genetic match
1
3. What for? Quote from the text.
(Line 2) They had me so that I could save Kate.
1
4. What can you deduce about Kates health?
She must be suffering from a very serious disease. She needs her sisters
kidney, so there must be something wrong with this part of her body. But
not only, since Anna says it never stops. We can imagine its not the first
time Anna is expected to help here. 1
5. Explain in your own words what a spare parts baby (or designer baby) is.
A spare parts baby is a baby conceived to provide his sibling with whatever
he/she might need to cure a disease, to help recover from illness, to make
him/her survive. The baby is designed for that purpose: the cells are
selected so that the newborns organs, cells and blood will match the elder
ones.
2
6. True or False? Campbell is an expert on stem cell research. Quote from the
text.
False.
(Line 4) There had been ethics courses in law school, but I usually skipped
them.
1
7. What made Anna finally ask for legal advice? Quote from the text.
(Line 14) Because, it never stops.
1
8. Analyse Annas character. (50 words)
Shes really determined, especially for such a young age. She knows what
shes come for, and shes not going to give up. She even has the money
and sounds a bit like an adult. This also proves how independent she has
become. She even looks a bit stubborn, but what shes been through might
explain for this: shes been asked so much that she may have the feeling
her body is not hers. She may be wondering what she was conceived for,
apart from saving her sister. And this is not enough to her. She may sound
a bit selfish for refusing to help her sister, but her frustration regarding her
parents might explain why she needs so much to focus on herself.
4

TEXT 2
1. What was Jamie conceived for? Quote from the text.
(Line 5) to provide a tissue match.
1
2. Explain why the Whitakers had to go to the USA. Quote from the text.

(Line 7) The procedure which was banned at the time in Britain.

1

3. Why does Mrs. Whitaker prefer to call her son a saviour sibling? Explain
in your own words.
She prefers to insist on the positive aspect of the procedure, on the fact
that one brother saved the other one. She doesnt like calling her son a
spare parts boy, and yet, this is what he was born for. He probably has
become more that just a designer baby since, and thats why she doesnt
like these expressions that sound a bit derogatory to her.
2

TEXT 1 and TEXT 2

Point out the similarities and differences between Annas and Jamies
stories. (50 words)
Both Anna and Jamie were born to help their siblings to survive or to recover from
some kind of disease or illness. They were selected with the same great care to
provide the exact match their siblings needed. Both can be called spare parts
children or designer children. However, Jamies brother has now fully recovered,
which means that Jamie doesnt have to play this spare parts provider role
anymore, contrary to Anna. In the extract, she has to give her sister a kidney,
which she refuses to do. Unlike Jamie, Annas role as a spare parts sister is not
over. She says it never stops. And this is precisely what makes her take action
and visit the lawyer. Jamie was a baby when all this happened to him, so he
didnt really have to face such a situation as Anna and to make a choice.
4

Written expression
Choose one of the following topics.
A- On her way home from her appointment with the lawyer, Anna meets a
close friend: she tells her about what happened and they talk about what
changes this may bring to Annas life. Write this conversation. (200 words)
how to write a dialogue
B- The Whitakers case prompted fierce debate (text 2, line 6). Give your
own view on the topic. (200 words) idea of progress