1. The genes of Influenza viruses reside on or in
a) eight pieces of RNA
b) eight pieces of DNA
c) one single piece of DNA
d) a nucleus with highly condensed chromatin
e) two proteins located on the outer surface of the virus
2. The most lethal pandemic of Influenza ever occurred
a) about the same time as the American Civil War
b) at the end of the Franco-Prussian War
c) just before the “Boxer Rebellion” in China
d) at the end of World War I
e) at the end of World War II
3. During the great Influenza pandemic, there were an estimated 1.8 billion human beings in the world. Of these, the total number estimated to be infected was
a) about 1 billion of whom nearly 400 million died
b) about 1 billion of whom 20-40 million died
c) about 100 million of whom 2-4 million dies
d) about 100 million of whom nearly a million died
4. Influenza viruses can change suddenly into a form that is completely unrecognized by our immune system. This sort of change us usually called
a) antigenic drift
b) antigenic shift
c) antigenic variation
d) pandemic
e) mutation that resists error correction
5. The Influenza of the great pandemic was unique because
a) it killed the very young (under 1 year of age)
b) it killed the 20-40 year olds
c) it killed the very old (65 and older)
d) it killed more women than men
6. In most cases of death resulting from Influenza, death was actually caused by
a) penetration of the virus into the lungs
b) penetration of the viruses into the internal organs
c) unrestricted growth of the virus in the bloodstream
d) secondary bacterial infections that occur after the flu has weakened the person
e) the appearance of drug-resistant forms of the virus
7. The infectious disease that killed the largest number of people in a single year is
a) typhoid fever
b) cholera
c) influenza
d) tuberculosis
e) bubonic plague
8. Doctors sometimes prescribe antibiotics for treatment of influenza. The effect of antibiotic therapy for influenza is most likely
a) reduction in the time of symptoms by about one-half, that is about 4-6 days
b) complete cure within 48 hours
c) aggravation of the symptoms and a prolonged recovery period
d) conversion of the patient into a healthy carrier of influenza
e) generation of antibiotic resistant bacteria
9. Which of the following diseases is caused by a virus?
a) typhoid fever
b) cholera
c) influenza
d) tuberculosis
e) bubonic plague
10. When the H5N1 flu was detected in chickens and people in Hong Kong a few years ago, the public health community was very worried because
a) it had the same H and N antigens as the 1918 pandemic strain
b) it came originally from pigs, just like the 1918 strain
c) it was 100% lethal to chickens and could have wiped out all the chickens in China
d) no H5 strain had ever been seen growing in humans before
e) this strain was highly transmissible from person to person
11. The influenza that swept the world in 1918-19 was called “Spanish Flu,” but it probably originated not in Spain but
a) In Germany or France on the battlefield of World War I
b) In Hong Kong
c) In South or Central America
d) Somewhere on the Indian subcontinent
e) In Kansas
12. Which of these diseases is caused by a virus rather than by a bacterium
a) Cholera
b) Tuberculosis
c) Influenza
d) Bubonic plague
e) Typhoid fever
13. The mortality pattern associated with the influenza pandemic of 1918-19 was different from that of other influenza epidemics because
a) It killed 20-40 year-olds instead of infants and old people
b) It killed 20-40 year-olds in addition to infants and old people
c) It killed infants and old people instead of 20-40 year-olds
d) It killed infants and 20-40 year-olds instead of old people
e) It killed 20-40 year-olds and old people instead of infants
14. How many Americans died during the 1918-19 influenza pandemic?
a) About 50,000
b) About 500,000
c) About 5,000,000
d) About 20,000,000
e) Fewer than 1,000