Alice Ball — Questions and answers

Read the full story

What was Hansen's Disease commonly known as at the turn of the 20th century?

Choices

  1. Leprosy ✓
  2. The Kalaupapa Sickness
  3. Molokai Fever
  4. The Grim Reality

Answer: Leprosy

From page 1

What was the main problem with using chaulmoogra oil for injections before Alice Ball's discovery?

Choices

  1. It tasted too good to be medicine.
  2. It caused people to laugh too much.
  3. It was insoluble in water and caused pain and side effects. ✓
  4. It was too hard to find the Hydnocarpus wightiana tree.

Answer: It was insoluble in water and caused pain and side effects.

From page 2

What made Alice Ball's achievements at the University of Hawaii so special?

Choices

  1. She was the first student to study kava plants.
  2. She was the first person to teach chemistry at the university.
  3. She was the first woman and first African American to get a master's degree there, and its first female chemistry instructor. ✓
  4. She earned two bachelor's degrees before attending.

Answer: She was the first woman and first African American to get a master's degree there, and its first female chemistry instructor.

From page 3

Who noticed Alice Ball's amazing chemistry skills and asked for her help with chaulmoogra oil?

Choices

  1. The president of the University of Hawaii
  2. Dr. Harry Hollmann ✓
  3. The patients at Kalaupapa
  4. A student in her class

Answer: Dr. Harry Hollmann

From page 4

What was the name of the chemical process Alice Ball used to make the chaulmoogra oil easier to inject?

Choices

  1. Esterification ✓
  2. Hydrogenation
  3. Catalysis
  4. Solubilization

Answer: Esterification

From page 5

What happened to patients who used the Ball Method in the hospital?

Choices

  1. Their symptoms got worse.
  2. They had to go to isolated colonies.
  3. They showed amazing improvement, with lesions healing and less pain. ✓
  4. The treatment only worked for a few people.

Answer: They showed amazing improvement, with lesions healing and less pain.

From page 7

What sad event happened to Alice Ball shortly after her big discovery?

Choices

  1. She moved to a new university.
  2. Her life ended too soon due to a lab accident. ✓
  3. She won a big award for her work.
  4. She stopped doing research.

Answer: Her life ended too soon due to a lab accident.

From page 8

Who fought to make sure Alice Ball got credit for her amazing discovery?

Choices

  1. Arthur Dean
  2. Franklin D. Roosevelt
  3. Dr. Harry Hollmann ✓
  4. The scientific community

Answer: Dr. Harry Hollmann

From page 9

For how long was Alice Ball's method the best treatment for Hansen's Disease?

Choices

  1. Until the 1920s
  2. Until the 1940s ✓
  3. Only for a few years
  4. It is still the best treatment today.

Answer: Until the 1940s

From page 10