Gifted Hands
Study Guide
Chapter 1
Vocabulary
affectionate – loving
offhandedly – casually
reluctantly – hesitantly
resentment – hatred
recollection – memory
vaguely – unclearly
legitimate – true; real
contentment – happiness
assurance – guarantee
profound – deep
1. From what point of view is the story told?
2. How old is Carson when his father leaves?
3. Why is it difficult for Carson to understand why his father has to leave?
4. Why do Carson’s parents divorce?
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5. Why does Carson come to accept his father’s absence?
6. How does the absence of their father affect Carson and his brother?
7. Who does Carson credit as the most influential person in his life?
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Chapter 2
Vocabulary
predominantly – mostly
stereotypical – based on an unfair judgment
dictate – command
type A personality – a person who is controlling or competitive
obstinance – stubbornness
frugality – saving money
premonition – advance knowledge
detrimental – harmful
migrated – moved
lucrative – profitable
evangelists – preachers who emphasize the gospels
stigmas – marks of shame
circulated – passed around
tenements – urban housing often marked by poverty and unsanitary conditions
1. Why does the school counselor put Curtis in a vocational program?
2. How does Mrs. Carson react to the counselor’s decision?
3. What does this event tell us about Mrs. Carson?
4. Contrast the values of Carson’s mother and father.
5. Why do the Carsons marry?
6. How does Mrs. Carson deal with the stress of being a single parent?
7. Where does the family move?
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Chapter 3
Vocabulary
dilapidated – run down
litmus paper – a paper used to test for acidity
concoctions – mixtures
precipice – a cliff
escarpment – a steep slope
deviated – went astray
prefab – standardized and largely put together from factory-assembled pieces
inevitable – unavoidable
conjecture – question
invariably – always
perception – way of seeing or thinking
1. Describe the Boston neighborhood in which the Carsons live.
2. How does Mrs. Carson make her living?
3. What two events make Carson’s eighth year his favorite?
4. What leads Carson to decide that he wants to be a doctor?
5. What do you suppose Carson means by “upper-lower-class neighborhood”?
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6. What information does Carson’s mother drill into her sons?
7. Why does Carson fall behind in school?
8. What stereotype does Ben face in school?
9. Discuss Carson’s use of suspense in the final paragraph of Chapter 3.
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Chapter 4
Vocabulary
compulsory – required
unbounded – limitless
knack – ability
protozoa – single-celled organisms
thrived – grew strong
conscious – aware
vent – voice
placated – soothed
recoiled – shrunk back
berate – scold
menacing – frightening
1. What two positive factors lead to Carson’s rise to the top of his class?
2. Describe Carson’s mother’s reaction to her son’s improvement.
3. Why do the Carson boys always obey their mother?
4. What rules does Mrs. Carson create to force her boys to study more?
5. Why does Ben’s internal motivation to succeed improve?
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6. How does Carson’s relationship with his peers change?
7. Why does Ben not tell his mother about the three incidents of racial prejudice?
8. What does Carson find ironic about his relationship with his mother?
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Chapter 5
Vocabulary
cohorts – partners, as in crime
sarcastic – mocking
subsidy – assistance
ostracized – outcast
acutely – intensely
pivotal – crucial
zealous – enthusiastic
genuinely – truly
unconventional – unusual
persisted – continued
relatively – somewhat
sophisticated – complex; difficult
devout – spiritually devoted
sympathetically – with concern
1. Explain the ritual of capping.
2. What simile does Ben use in this chapter to describe the size of the home his family
moves back to? What does the simile imply about the home?
3. What pressure does Ben feel for the first time in his life?
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4. How does Carson win acceptance?
5. What does Carson feel he needs to be accepted at school?
6. On page 51, Ben says that he was having fun but was not happy. What is the
difference?
7. Who had an impact on Mrs. Carson’s life?
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Chapter 6
Vocabulary
profusely – a great deal
pathological – uncontrollable
irrational – without logic
engulfed – swallowed
1. What personality trait affects Carson?
2. How does Carson overcome his problem?
3. Paraphrase the quote from Proverbs on page 59.
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Chapter 7
Vocabulary
dynamic – active; self-motivated
emulate – copy
indifference – lack of concern
rambunctious – rowdy
reverting – falling back
elated – overjoyed
entourage – a group of associates
precluding – preventing
divert – redirect
unprecedented – never before seen or known to have happened
cultivated – helped to grow
1. What hospital is Carson interested in working for?
2. What area of medicine does Ben decide he wants to pursue?
3. Who does Carson look up to as a role model? Why?
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4. What attitude does Mrs. Carson reinforce in her children through poems and quotations?
5. Why does Ben get involved in ROTC?
6. Why does Ben turn down the West Point scholarship?
7. What does Carson become interested in after studying it for the College Bowl?
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Chapter 8
Vocabulary
enducements [inducements] – incentives
arrogantly – conceitedly
accommodations – living arrangements
befitted – suited
perceptive – insightful
deterred – prevented
echelon – a rank
nebulous – other-worldly; vague
resignation – acceptance
discordant – harsh-sounding
contradicted – went against
1. Why does Carson apply to only one college?
2. How does Carson feel about finishing high school third in his class?
3. How does Carson decide on Yale?
4. What does Carson realize about himself after one week at Yale?
5. Discuss the personification in the following sentence: “But the beauty of that autumn day
mocked me. “ (Pg. 74)
6. To what does Carson attribute his ability to pass the chemistry test?
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Chapter 9
Vocabulary
prestigious – important
productivity – efficiency
flabbergasted – shocked
audacious – daring
bewailing – lamenting
inadvertently – accidentally
exodus – a mass of people leaving
1. What does Carson believe about rules?
2. How does Ben get his crew to pick up so much trash?
3. How does Carson get most of his summer jobs?
4. What two experiences reinforce Ben’s faith in God?
5. What is the purpose of the hoax Carson is caught in?
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Chapter 10
Vocabulary
mesmerized – stunned; hypnotized
exuberance – excitement
effervescent – bubbly
introspective – reflective
intriguing – interesting
baccalaureate service – a service in which a sermon is presented to a to a class of graduates
monotonous – boring
prelude – introduction
panorama – a wide view
aptitude – ability
subsequently – later
1. Whose smile “mesmerized” Ben? (Pg. 91)
2. What happens on the drive back to Yale?
3. What natural ability does Carson realize he is blessed with?
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Chapter 11
Vocabulary
tormented – tortured
realm – an area
resent – take offense to
compulsion – obsession
excelled – was very successful
intuitively – instinctively
adversely – negatively
trepidation – fear
aspirations – goals
concisely – to the point
oblique – indirect
digression – departure from the subject at hand
consoled – comforted
rapport – a relationship between people
1. What area of medicine becomes a compulsion to Ben?
2. In what way do other doctors begin taking advantage of Carson? How does he feel
about it?
3. Why does Ben decide to apply at Johns Hopkins instead of remain at the University of
Michigan?
4. Why is application to John Hopkins risky?
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5. What is ironic about the reason Carson begins studying classical music?
6. What does Carson do between his second and third years of medical school?
7. Why does Ben maintain a good rapport with the hospital staff?
8. What message does Ben feel it is important for young people to hear?
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Chapter 12
Vocabulary
adamant – firm
caustic – harsh
pompous – arrogant
inadequate – not good enough
censured – punished
malformations – abnormalities
1. What prejudice does Carson face when he becomes an intern at Johns Hopkins?
2. How does Ben react to prejudice?
3. What value does Carson see in Vietnamese immigrants that he thinks African Americans
should adopt?
4. What honor does Carson receive at Johns Hopkins?
5. Why does Carson go ahead with the operation even though he cannot locate the faculty
member who is in charge?
6. For what does Carson win the Resident of the Year Award?
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Chapter 13
Vocabulary
evasive – elusive
apartheid – a form of racial segregation
trepidation – fear
auspices – sponsorship
stamina – strength
tedious – tiresome
integration – inclusion
bigotry – prejudice
prerogative – choice; option
1. Why does Carson not want to go to Australia?
2. What information leads Carson to change his mind?
3. How are the Carsons able to meet so many people in Australia so quickly?
4. Why is Ben’s time in Australia so valuable to his career?
5. What job does Carson accept soon after his return to the United States?
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Chapter 14
Vocabulary
deter – stop
barbiturate – a sedative
tenacious – determined
serenity – peacefulness
1. What is wrong with Maranda?
2. How does Carson feel when he first meets Maranda?
3. Why does Carson feel it is important to tell Maranda’s mother every negative fact?
4. What homework assignment does Ben give Maranda’s parents?
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Chapter 15
Vocabulary
cauterized – deadened; sealed off
profusely – in great quantities
permeates – seeps into
alleviating – relieving
markedly – significantly
intuitively – instinctively
inkling – a small idea or a peek into
1. For what two reasons is Carson confident about Maranda’s surgery?
2. What possible disabilities does Maranda face even if the operation is successful?
3. Describe the results of Maranda’s surgery.
4. Why does Carson turn down the opportunity to appear on The Phil Donahue Show?
5. Explain how a person can function with only half of the brain.
6. How is the relationship between doctors different in the United States from in Australia?
7. What does Carson’s reaction to Jennifer’s death reveal about his personality?
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Chapter 16
Vocabulary
radical – extreme
lethargic – groggy
derogatory – negative
aspirated – sucked something into the lungs
indictments – attacks
amenable – agreeable
1. What caused the onset of Beth’s seizures?
2. What makes the decision to go through with Beth’s surgery especially difficult?
3. Who comes to visit Beth?
4. Why is there so much controversy over Denise’s surgery?
5. What does Carson learn from his experience with Denise?
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Chapter 17
Vocabulary
galvanizes – moves
eroded – deteriorated
metastasized – spread
1. What caused Bo-Bo’s injury?
2. What is a “four plus emergency”? (Pg. 170)
3. What attitude does Ben face from his colleague?
4. What causes Charles’s injury?
5. Why was Charles’s recovery not as complete as Bo-Bo’s?
6. Why were the doctors unable to save Danielle?
7. Why does Carson share Danielle’s story?
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Chapter 18
Vocabulary
transpired – took place
markedly – noticeably
deteriorate – worsen
ecstatic – overjoyed
bandied – exchanged
coagulate – clot
unflappable – composed
1. Describe Craig and Susan’s relationship.
2. What two symptoms plague Craig even after his first surgery?
3. What does Dr. Miller do that renews Susan’s faith in the medical profession?
4. Why does Susan choose to keep the diagnosis from Craig?
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5. What does Susan do to help her cope with Craig’s disease?
6. How is Ben’s experience with the Warnicks different from his experiences with other
patients and their families?
7. Describe Susan’s emotional state following the surgery.
8. What does Susan call to share with Carson as evidence of Craig’s miraculous recover?
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Chapter 19
Vocabulary
relegated – reduced
tentatively – cautiously
feasible – possible
contingency – a possibility
1. How does Theresa Binder react when she finds out that she is going to have
Siamese twins?
2. How does Theresa feel when the babies are born?
3. How many people are involved in the Binder twins’ surgery?
4. What happens two weeks before Ben is to travel to Germany?
5. What happens to reinforce Carson’s belief that God wants him to perform the surgery?
6. Why does Ben end Chapter 19 with the sentence: “If the infants continued to recover.”
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Chapter 20
Vocabulary
lapse – pass
assess – determine
normalcy – full recovery
myriad – endless
spectacularly – amazingly
exhilarated – intensely excited
1. How long does the surgery take?
2. What do the doctors do following the surgery so that the twins’ brains could recover?
3. What do the doctors find when they exit the operating room?
4. What aspect of the surgery is Ben particularly proud of?
5. What rumors about the twins becomes headline news? Is it true?
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Chapter 21
Vocabulary
methodically – systematically
adequate – sufficient
abating – slowing
1. Where is Carson’s second child born, and who delivers the baby?
2. After the birth of his second child, what does Carson decide about his life?
3. What does Carson decide are the priorities in his life?
4. What must Carson give up to concentrate on his priorities?
5. What condition does Carson place on his marriage to Candy?
6. Why is it especially important to Carson that his sons know their father?
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Chapter 22
Vocabulary
precluding – preventing
incentive – a motivating factor
perpetuating – allowing to continue
grandiose – extravagant
emulate – imitate
naïve – unaware
1. What do the Carsons hope to achieve?
2. What faults do the Carsons find with most established scholarships?
3. List the principles that make up Carson’s “Think Big” theory.
4. What does Carson see as a constant theme in his life?
5. What fault does Carson find with the media’s influence on the career goals of
today’s youth?
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5. What does Carson feel should be emphasized in school?
6. In what way does Carson say today’s youth is naïve?
7. What makes Carson an unusual role model?
8. What does Ben feel is the key to success?
10. According to Carson, how should people look at obstacles?