CONFIDENTIAL 2 ELC501/SAMPLE FINAL EXAM

TOTAL MARKS: 40 MARKS

Read the following article and answer ALL the questions that follow.

A New Fight to Legalise Euthanasia

I The term euthanasia originated from the Greek word for "good death." It is
the act or practice of ending the life of a person either by lethal injection or
the suspension of medical treatment. Because of this, many view euthanasia
as simply bringing relief by alleviating pain and suffering in situations when a
decision is made to refrain from exercising "heroic" measures in an end-of-life 5
situation. This leads to the question, should we be allowed to determine
when we die? What seems alarming is that there appears to be an increasing
acceptance of active forms of euthanasia which involve physicians
assistance. We also face a bigger, more insidious threat from passive forms
of euthanasia, where medical care or food and water are withheld from 10
vulnerable patients who cannot speak for themselves. However, whichever
form of euthanasia it is, it should not be permitted.

II Euthanasia may be an issue long debated in the U.S., with Oregon being the
first state to have legalised the practice of physician-assisted suicide. Booth
Gardner, a former governor of Washington, is leading a ballot initiative that, if 15
approved, would allow doctors in Washington to prescribe lethal doses of
narcotics to terminally ill patients who want to end their own lives. The
campaign is personal for Gardner, who was diagnosed more than a decade
ago with Parkinson's disease, a debilitating condition. Gardner has
repeatedly said he would end his own life if given the tools to do so legally 20
with dignity as it is his right as a human being to decide for himself.

III According to a news report on the ballot, so far more than 80 per cent of
American adults agree with Gardner. In another survey carried out on 1,070
Americans released by ELDR Magazine, a publication aimed at senior
citizens, two-thirds support laws similar to Oregon's, which give people the 25
"right to die" through physician-assisted suicide. More than 80 per cent of
respondents also said that, if terminally ill and in pain, they would want to be

made unconscious even if it hastened death. Dave Bunnell, the editor of

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ELDR expressed that a painful or prolonged death is something everyone

worries about. 30

IV The ELDR study, as well as similar findings in previous surveys, would

indicate that "death with dignity" laws may be gaining national momentum, at
least among the elderly. Some of that acceptance is due to the fact that
Oregon's law seems to work despite critics' concern that the law would
only encourage abuse. A few instances of abuse have indeed been reported 35
since the law was passed in 1994 and implemented in 1997. The state's
legislation requires that the patient, who must be at least 18 and an Oregon
resident, make two requests to die within two weeks. Two doctors must also
concur that the patient has no more than six months to live and that he is not
suffering from any mental illness, including depression. Since 2002, about 40 40
Oregonians each year have taken advantage of the law. Generally, a doctor
prescribes a lethal dose of barbiturates, but is not legally allowed to
administer it. The patient must take the dose himself.

V Washington's proposed law would mirror Oregon's almost exactly.

Proponents will have to collect 225,000 petition signatures by July 3 to get it 45
on the ballot. But if history is any indication, the initiative has little chance of
passing in November. Voters have struck down dozens of similar "right to die"
laws since the late 1980s, including in Washington State in 1992. It is only
right that voters should oppose Gardners move as physicians should strive
to save patients lives instead of assisting them to end their lives. They are 50
bound by the Hippocratic oath to do so.

VI No one has the right to judge that anothers life is not worth living even if the
person concerned has given up on his or her own life. The basic right to life
should not be abridged because someone decides that someone elses
quality of life is too low. If we base the right to life on quality of life standards, 55
there is no logical place to draw the line. In the past, the Catholic Church and
other religious groups have succeeded in rallying enough committed
opponents to come out and vote against legalizing euthanasia. However, this
year, heading up a coalition against the Washington effort is Chris Carlson, a
formidable match for Gardner. Carlson also suffers from Parkinson's and was 60
diagnosed with terminal cancer three years ago. Despite the diagnosis, he is

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still around and has wondered what would have happened if he had given up
hope and opted for euthanasia.

VII Carlson is living proof that doctors can get things wrong. As such, there is this
fear that the "right to die" law may translate into premature suicide. One of 65
the biggest concerns is that although a physician is supposed to ensure the
patient is not depressed, the law has not made it mandatory for the person
seeking euthanasia to undergo a formal mental evaluation by a psychiatrist.
This, however, is necessary because any person diagnosed with terminal
illness could be immediately depressed. What is alarming is that according to 70
the Oregon Department of Health Services, none of the 49 physician-assisted
suicide patients in Oregon last year had such an evaluation done. As an
estimated 90 per cent of suicides in the U.S. have been associated with
mental illness, such an evaluation should have been made mandatory.
75

VIII Another reason to challenge legalising euthanasia is the charge that "right to
die" laws unfairly target women, minorities and the poor. Some critics claim
that women and minorities are quicker than others to perceive themselves as
a financial or emotional burden to their families, and may be more easily
persuaded to end their lives. Research conducted by Colorado State 80
University shows that of the 75 suicides assisted by Jack Kevorkian, a doctor
from Michigan through 1997, 72 per cent were women. It was found that
more than three-quarters of those women, while certainly ill and suffering
were not expected to die within six months. There is also this concern that
the law could coerce people with disabilities into suicide. Duane French, a 85
quadriplegic believes that financial pressures motivate too many important
health care decisions and this may lead to sick and disabled people feeling
pressured to choose assisted suicide.

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IX Despite Gardners dismissal of these concerns on the grounds that none of

them have materialized in Oregon in the decade since its Death with Dignity 90
(DWD) Act took effect and that men and women have used the law in equal
numbers, it does not make euthanasia the right move. There is no guarantee
that these concerns will not arise in the future. Gardners argument that we
should not be denied the choice to end our lives if we want to as we do not
live in a perfect world is unacceptable. It appears to be the cowards way out. 95

X Who are we to end our lives or the lives of others as we choose? Other
measures need to be considered such as protecting vulnerable patients by
fostering more positive attitudes towards people with serious and
incapacitating illnesses and conditions. We must also enact positive
legislation that will protect vulnerable people from those who consider their 100
lives meaningless or too costly to maintain and who would cause their deaths
by withholding life-sustaining care such as food and water or administering
lethal injections. Despite the ravages of their diseases, they are still our fellow
human beings and deserve our care and respect.

Adapted from http://www.time.com/time/health/article

QUESTION 1

Interpret the meaning of the following words as they are used in the passage.

a) vulnerable (line 11) _______________________________________________

b) debilitating (line 19) _______________________________________________

c) abridged (line 54) _______________________________________________

d) coerce (line 85) _______________________________________________

(4 marks)
QUESTION 2

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CONFIDENTIAL 6 ELC501/SAMPLE FINAL EXAM

Identify the issue discussed in the article.

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(2 marks)

QUESTION 3

Define the authors position on the issue presented in the article.

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(2 marks)

QUESTION 4

Explain what the writer is implying when the writer states, many view euthanasia as simply

bringing relief by alleviating pain and suffering in situations when a decision is made to

refrain from exercising "heroic" measures in an end-of-life situation (lines 3-6).

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_________________________________________________________________________

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_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

(3 marks)

QUESTION 5

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State the main idea of paragraph VIII and give ONE MAJOR supporting detail to support the

main idea.

a) Main idea:

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b) Major supporting detail:

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(2 marks)

QUESTION 6

Write out the implied main idea of Paragraph X?

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(2 marks)

QUESTION 7

Read each of the following statements. Decide whether each statement is a Fact or an
Opinion and explain why. Write your answer in the space provided.

a) We also face a bigger, more insidious threat from passive forms of euthanasia, where
medical care or food and water are withheld from vulnerable patients who cannot speak for
themselves.
_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________
b) As an estimated 90 per cent of suicides in the U.S. have been associated with mental
illness, such an evaluation should have been made mandatory.
_______________________________________________________________________
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_______________________________________________________________________

c) It was found that more than three-quarters of those women, while certainly ill and
suffering, were not expected to die within six months.
_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________
(6 marks)

QUESTION 8

The author has used different types of support as supporting details in the article. Identify the
type of support for each of the supporting detail given below.

Supporting Detail Type of Support

a) In another survey carried out on 1,070 Americans released by ELDR
Magazine, a publication aimed at senior citizens, two-thirds support
laws similar to Oregon's, which give people the "right to die" through
physician-assisted suicide (Paragraph III).

b) The state's legislation requires that the patient, who must be at least
18 and an Oregon resident, make two requests to die within two
weeks (Paragraph IV).

c) Voters have struck down dozens of similar "right to die" laws since the
late 1980s, including in Washington State in 1992 (Paragraph V).

d) Duane French, a quadriplegic believes that financial pressures

motivate too many important health care decisions and this may lead
to sick and disabled people feeling pressured to choose assisted
suicide (Paragraph VIII).

(4 marks)

QUESTION 9

Referring to paragraph X, identify two inferences that can be made about what the author
believes.
I. Patients who are dying are not being adequately protected by the law.

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II. Caregivers have a positive outlook towards caring for the dying.
III. Dying patients are being dehumanised.
IV Euthanasia is a possible option among other measures.

Indicate your answer by circling the appropriate response.

a) I and II only
b) II and III only
c) I and III only
d) I and IV only
e) II and IV only
(2 marks)

QUESTION 10

Determine which of the following groups is least likely to be the intended audience.

a) The elderly
b) Dying patients
c) Physicians
d) Youngsters
e) Caregivers
(1 mark)

QUESTION 11

Identify which of the following best describes the tone of the author.

a) Pleading
b) Concerned
c) Dispassionate
d) Emphatic
e) Righteous
(1 mark)

QUESTION 12

Determine the writers purpose for writing such an article.

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_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________
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(1 mark)

QUESTION 13

Evaluate the writers use of language in paragraphs VII and VIII that indicates his view about
laws that permit euthanasia. Provide evidence to support your evaluation.
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(2 marks)

QUESTION 14

Draw a possible conclusion based on inductive reasoning for the given text:

According to a news report on the ballot, so far more than 80 per cent of American adults
agree with Gardner. In another survey carried out on 1,070 Americans released by ELDR
Magazine, a publication aimed at senior citizens, two-thirds support laws similar to Oregon's,
which give people the "right to die" through physician-assisted suicide. More than 80 per
cent of respondents also said that, if terminally ill and in pain, they would want to be made
unconscious even if it hastened death.
_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

QUESTION 15

Draw a possible conclusion based on deductive reasoning for the given text:

The "right to die" laws generally target women, minorities and the poor. Some critics claim
that women and minorities are quicker than others to perceive themselves as a financial or
emotional burden to their families. They are more easily persuaded to end their lives.

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Research conducted by Colorado State University shows that of the 75 suicides assisted by
Jack Kevorkian, a doctor from Michigan through 1997, 72 per cent were women.

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

QUESTION 16

Evaluate the validity and credibility of the authors argument in the article. Explain your
answer with evidence from the article.
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(3 marks)
QUESTION 17

Evaluate the authors argument for completeness. Explain your answer with evidence from
the article.
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_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

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_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

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(3 marks)

END OF QUESTION PAPER

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