1. Both anthrax and smallpox can be contracted either by inhalation of infectious material or by scratching the skin with infectious material.
(a) Both anthrax and smallpox are more lethal if contracted by scratching the skin than by inhalation
(b) Both anthrax and smallpox are more lethal if contracted by inhalation than by scratching the skin
(c) Anthrax is more lethal if contracted from a scratch but smallpox is more lethal if contracted by inhalation
(d) Smallpox is more lethal if contracted from a scratch but anthrax is more lethal if contracted by inhalation

2. How many people died as a result of the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919?
(a) 20-40 thousand
(b) 200-400 thousand
(c) 2-4 million
(d) 20-40 million
(e) 200-400 million

3. Cases of a kuru-like disease in the US have been linked to people eating the meat of
(a) Cows
(b) Sheep
(c) Dogs
(d) Squirrels
(e) Rats

4. The last known case of smallpox occurred
(a) Last year
(b) About 25 years ago
(c) About 100 years ago
(d) In the mid to late 1700’s

5. In the past 3 or 4 years, the number of Americans who have died each year from influenza has
(a) Risen from about 20,000 per year to 60,000 or more
(b) Fallen from about 20,000 per year to about 8-10 thousand per year
(c) Stayed constant at about 20,000 per year
(d) Stayed constant at 200-500 per year
(e) Stayed constant at about 500,000 per year

6. The presence of amyloid plaques in tissues examined during an autopsy would be expected in cases of
(a) Inhalation anthrax
(b) Kuru
(c) Influenza (if fatal)
(d) Smallpox
(e) Bubonic (but not pneumonic) plague

7. Which of these diseases is caused by a virus?
(a) Anthrax
(b) Smallpox
(c) Kuru
(d) Bubonic plague
(e) Tuberculosis

8. The disease most related to kuru is
(a) Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
(b) Alzheimer’s disease
(c) Legionnaire’s disease
(d) Epilepsy
(e) Emphysema

9. During the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919, what fraction of the people who were infected with influenza died?
(a) About 2-4 per 100
(b) About 2-4 per thousand
(c) About 2-4 per 10,000
(d) About 2-4 per 100,000
(e) About 2-4 per million

10. One difference between vaccination and variolation as a defense against smallpox is that
(a) Vaccination confers lifelong immunity but variolation lasts only 5-10 years
(b) Vaccination uses a killed organism but variolation uses a live organism
(c) Vaccination was in use for hundreds of years before variolation was introduced
(d) Variolation can lead to an epidemic of smallpox but vaccination cannot
(e) Vaccination is more dangerous to the person receiving it than variolation

11. The “Middle Ages” in Europe are generally considered to have begun with the Plague of Justinian and ended with the Black Death.
(a) The plague of Justinian was smallpox and the Black Death was bubonic plague
(b) The plague of Justinian was bubonic plague and the Black Death was smallpox
(c) Both of these were Influenza
(d) Both of these were bubonic plague
(e) Both of these were smallpox

12. Which of these potential biological warfare agents would remain infectious for the longest time if it were sprayed on the soil from an aircraft?
(a) Influenza virus
(b) Variola major
(c) Vaccinia virus
(d) Bacillus anthracis
(e) Yersinia pestis

13. By the early 18th century, Spain had ceased to be the dominant world power. It has been argued that this was the result of several waves of bubonic plague more than the defeat of the Spanish Armada which occurred much earlier. When was the Spanish Armada defeated?
(a) 1066
(b) 1588
(c) 1596
(d) 1648
(e) 1677

14. Which of these diseases would a vegetarian be most likely to get from handling sheep and cattle?
(a) Influenza
(b) Bubonic plague
(c) Anthrax
(d) Smallpox
(e) Kuru

15. When did the bubonic plague germ become established in North America?
(a) More and 5,000 years ago
(b) Between 1346 and 1380
(c) Between 1492 and 1500
(d) Between 1890 and 1929
(e) Never (i.e. not yet)

16. The largest outbreak of “mad cow disease” occurred in
(a) The USA
(b) Australia
(c) England
(d) France
(e) Africa

17. The word “prion” is most associated with which disease?
(a) Kuru
(b) Influenza
(c) Smallpox
(d) Pneumonic (but not bubonic) plague
(e) Anthrax

18. Robert Koch, his students, and his trainees were responsible for identifying the causative agent of all the following EXCEPT
(a) Tuberculosis
(b) Influenza
(c) Cholera
(d) Anthrax
(e) Bubonic plague

19. Which of the following has a proofreading function (a “spellchecker”) associated with it?
(a) The cellular machinery that copies RNA from DNA
(b) The cellular machinery that copies DNA from DNA
(c) The cellular machinery that copies protein from RNA
(d) The cellular machinery that copies RNA from RNA
(e) The cellular machinery that copies RNA from protein

20. The animal reservoir for smallpox (other than humans) is
(a) Cows
(b) Monkeys
(c) Birds and pigs
(d) Rodents and their fleas
(e) None (There is no animal reservoir)

21. What does the “protective antigen” (PA) of anthrax toxin do?
(a) Deliver other toxins to the inside of cells
(b) Protect the bacterium from capture by a phagocyte
(c) Make the spore resistant to environmental damage
(d) Protect humans from infection by B. anthracis
(e) Prevent fusion of the lysosome with vesicles containing B. anthracis in a phagocyte

22. In the book Deadly Feasts, the author seems to downplay the significance of
(a) Gajdusek’s contribution to research on kuru
(b) Prusiner’s contribution to research on kuru
(c) The contribution of research on scrapie and other veterinary diseases to research on kuru
(d) Prusiner’s abrasive personality
(e) Gajdusek’s pedophilia