Chapter
1
1
How did Henrietta describe that something didn’t feel right in her body?
She felt a knot inside her
After her mom died and her father divided up the children to live with relatives, who did Henrietta end up living with?
Her grandfather, Tommy
What idea did doctor TeLinde present at a major meeting of pathologists in Washington, D.C., where the audience heckled him off the stage?
An argument about carcinoma in situ
Who was younger- Henrietta or Day?
Henrietta- August 1, 1920
What can you infer about Henrietta living in a small town?
There are limited resources, social connections, and different mindsets (perspectives) than the rest of the world... answers will vary.
What hospital did Henrietta seek treatment at?
John Hopkins
Who did Henrietta marry?
Her cousin, Day
What radioactive metal did the doctor use to treat Henrietta?
Radium
Why didn't Johnny Pleasant raise his children?
He was too impatient.
What is one potential reason that can expain Henrietta's name change.
Answers will vary... must be logical.
Passage: “Henrietta Lacks was a thirty-one-year-old black woman who grew up in the tobacco fields of Clover, Virginia.”
What is the author’s main purpose in including this detail?
To inform readers of her childhood.
Loretta Lacks changed her name to Loretta Lacks because she was closer to her grandfather than her biological father.
Is this an explicit detail, implicit detail, or an inference?
Inference
What inference can be drawn from the fact that Henrietta could not read the medical jargon on the form?
Henrietta likely didn’t fully understand what she was agreeing to.
How were Sadie and Margaret related to Henrietta?
They were cousins.
Infer why Sadie and Margaret would not tell the rest of the family about Henrietta's knot.
Answers will vary.
Is the pap smear still a method used today?
Yes!
What did everyone call Granpa Lacks' home?
home-house
Passage: “Henrietta signed the consent form. It said: ‘I hereby give consent to the staff of the Johns Hopkins Hospital to perform any operative procedures…and under any anesthetic…that they may deem necessary.’”
What is the key limitation of this form?
It allowed doctors to use her tissue without her informed consent
What was the plaque sewn onto Henrietta's cervix filled with?
Radium
How can radium be helpful and harmful at the same time?
It kills healthy tissue and cancerous tissue simultaneously.
“Henrietta signed with a steady hand, as if she’d done it many times before.”
Is this an explicit or implicit detail?
explicit
"They all shared one room, sleeping three or four to a bed, with no plumbing or electricity.”
What can we infer about Henrietta’s childhood from this description?
She grew up in poverty with limited resources.
Chapters 1–3 often shift between personal narrative (Henrietta’s life) and scientific or historical context (Hopkins’ history). What effect does this structure have on the reader?
A) It confuses the timeline, making the story less reliable
B) It creates suspense by hiding key details
C) It builds a connection between Henrietta’s personal struggles and the larger issues in medical history
D) It distracts the reader from the real focus: the science of cell research
C) It builds a connection between Henrietta’s personal struggles and the larger issues in medical history
What is the name of the Greek researcher who developed the pap smear?
George Papanicolaou
Which inference best explains why Henrietta’s story was largely unknown during her lifetime?
A) Her family wanted to keep her medical history private
B) Doctors at Hopkins had promised confidentiality
C) Social and racial inequalities prevented recognition of black patients’ contributions
D) Henrietta refused to share her medical experiences with others
C) Social and racial inequalities prevented recognition of black patients’ contributions