"January Book Club: 'Heart: A History'"

Question

by Randi Hutter Epstein

In Richard Selzer’s fictional story “Whither Thou Goest,” a widow searches for the man who received her late husband’s heart. The liver, kidney and corneas were in other people, but she needed to be with the heart. When she and the stranger ultimately connect, it’s as if she’s recovered lost love.

I, on the other hand, always considered the heart a pump, much the way a doctor explained it to Sandeep Jauhar during his cardiology fellowship. “In the end,” the doctor said, “cardiology is mostly a problem of plumbing.”

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Question
Use the passage to answer the question.

In paragraph 7, how does the word quack help emphasize the ideas in the paragraph?

(1 point)
Responses

The word quack has a negative connotation, which helps express the negative qualities of the doctor’s colleagues.
The word quack has a negative connotation, which helps express the negative qualities of the doctor’s colleagues.

The word quack shows how someone has to be a little strange to achieve such magnificent accomplishments.
The word quack shows how someone has to be a little strange to achieve such magnificent accomplishments.

The word quack emphasizes how wrong public opinion was about the doctor since he won the Nobel Prize for his efforts.
The word quack emphasizes how wrong public opinion was about the doctor since he won the Nobel Prize for his efforts.

The word quack suggests that the medical profession cannot understand the work of pioneers in the field.
The word quack suggests that the medical profession cannot understand the work of pioneers in the field.

Answer 1

The best response to how the word "quack" helps emphasize the ideas in paragraph 7 is:

The word quack has a negative connotation, which helps express the negative qualities of the doctor’s colleagues.

This option highlights how the term "quack" conveys disdain or skepticism towards those in the medical profession who may not appreciate or recognize the innovative work of the doctor in question, thereby reinforcing a critical view of his colleagues.