What the Eyes Don’t See: Book Quiz
Quiz Questions
Plot and Sequence (8 questions)
1. What was the original source of Flint’s water before the switch to the Flint River in 2014?
- A. Lake Huron via Detroit water system
- B. The Karegnondi pipeline
- C. Bottled water from the state
- D. Private wells
2. In what year did Flint switch its water source to the Flint River?
(Short answer)
3. Who first alerted Dr. Mona Hanna‑Attisha to possible lead contamination in the water?
- A. Marc Edwards
- B. Miguel Del Toral
- C. Elin Betanzo
- D. Grace, a patient’s mother
4. What public event forced Mona to go public with her blood‑lead findings?
(Short answer)
5. When state officials first responded to Mona’s data, what did they claim caused the rise in lead levels?
- A. Lead paint in older homes
- B. A seasonal anomaly
- C. Improper sampling by residents
- D. A laboratory error
6. On what date did the Genesee County Health Department declare a public health emergency?
(Short answer)
7. What visual prop did Mona use at her press conference to make the science accessible?
- A. A map of Flint’s water pipes
- B. A baby bottle filled with Flint tap water
- C. A chart of blood‑lead statistics
- D. A can of ready‑to‑feed formula
8. What did Governor Rick Snyder announce on October 8, 2015?
- A. A $100 million fund for Flint children
- B. That Flint would return to Detroit water
- C. The resignation of MDEQ officials
- D. A federal emergency declaration
Character Motivation (5 questions)
9. Why did Dr. Mona initially decide to become a pediatrician?
(Short answer)
10. What motivated Elin Betanzo to investigate Flint’s water quality?
- A. She worked for the EPA and had access to whistleblower memos
- B. She was a lifelong friend of Mona and an environmental engineer
- C. She had a personal lawsuit pending against the city
- D. She was a journalist covering the story
11. Why did Virginia Tech professor Marc Edwards share his expertise and data with Mona?
- A. He hoped to discredit the state’s claims
- B. He was ashamed of his profession’s inaction and believed in scientific truth
- C. He was hired by the city of Flint
- D. He wanted to publish a competing study
12. What prompted Governor Rick Snyder to visit Mona’s clinic in 2016 and apologize?
(Short answer)
13. Why did Mona’s brother Mark, a whistleblower lawyer, warn her about going public?
- A. He worried about retaliation from state officials
- B. He thought her data was flawed
- C. He wanted her to wait for peer review
- D. He believed the crisis would resolve on its own
Theme and Symbol (4 questions)
14. What does the epigraph from Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax (“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot…”) symbolize in the book?
- A. The importance of governmental regulation
- B. That individual caring and action are prerequisites for change
- C. That only children can save the environment
- D. That the crisis was unavoidable
15. What does the “white coat” symbolize in Dr. Mona’s story?
(Short answer)
16. The repeated phrase “the eyes don’t see what the mind doesn’t know” represents:
- A. The limitations of medical training
- B. The need for knowledge to recognize injustice and harm
- C. The ignorance of Flint residents
- D. The failure of journalism
17. What does the family fable of Haji and the birds (the epilogue) represent?
(Short answer)
Synthesis (3 questions)
18. How does Dr. Mona’s background as a brown immigrant in a majority‑black city shape her perspective on the Flint water crisis?
(Short answer)
19. How does the book connect the Flint water crisis to broader issues of racism and inequality in America?
(Short answer)
20. What lesson does the book offer about hope and resilience in communities facing systemic neglect?
(Short answer)
Answer Key
1. A. Lake Huron via Detroit water system. The outline notes that Flint’s original water source was from Detroit’s system, which used Lake Huron water treated with corrosion control.
2. 2014. The emergency manager switched Flint’s water source to the Flint River in April 2014.
3. C. Elin Betanzo. Elin, an environmental engineer and Mona’s childhood friend, revealed a leaked EPA memo about lead and corrosion control.
4. A press conference announcing her blood‑lead findings. After the mayor refused to issue a health advisory, Mona held a press conference on September 24, 2015.
5. B. A seasonal anomaly. State officials initially claimed the rise in blood‑lead levels was due to seasonal variation, not the water switch.
6. October 1, 2015. The Genesee County Health Department declared a public health emergency on that date.
7. B. A baby bottle filled with Flint tap water. Mona used this prop to visually demonstrate the contamination.
8. B. That Flint would return to Detroit water. On October 8, 2015, Governor Snyder announced the switch back.
9. Mona was inspired by a childhood car crash and the kindness of a doctor who cared for her. This experience, combined with her family’s immigrant story and desire for justice, motivated her to become a pediatrician.
10. B. She was a lifelong friend of Mona and an environmental engineer. Elin’s expertise and concern led her to investigate and share the evidence.
11. B. He was ashamed of his profession’s inaction and believed in scientific truth. Edwards told Mona he was “ashamed for my profession” and offered his assistance.
12. Public pressure from the crisis, media attention, and advocacy forced Snyder to acknowledge the problem. He visited to apologize and announce $100 million in services for Flint children, part of a truth‑and‑reconciliation effort.
13. A. He worried about retaliation from state officials. As a whistleblower lawyer, Mark understood the risks and wanted Mona to be prepared for the backlash.
14. B. That individual caring and action are prerequisites for change. The epigraph sets the book’s central theme about personal responsibility.
15. The white coat symbolizes authority, trust, and the moral responsibility of a physician to use her position to advocate for patients.
16. B. The need for knowledge to recognize injustice and harm. The phrase underscores that discovering the truth about the water crisis required learning what was hidden.
17. The fable of Haji and the birds represents collective action, community support, and the idea that many people working together can lift someone in need.
18. Mona’s immigrant background gave her a deep understanding of systemic injustice and the resilience needed to overcome trauma. She frames the crisis as a government betrayal disproportionately affecting poor and black communities, and she positions herself as an advocate who shares some of that experience.
19. The book traces Flint’s history of deindustrialization, racial segregation through housing covenants, white flight, and the emergency manager law that stripped local democracy. It shows how these structural forces made the water crisis possible and how environmental racism poisoned a city of color.
20. The book argues that resilience is learned through community support, early interventions, and structural investment. Hope is not passive; it is a prescription that requires both personal determination and collective action to create safe environments for children.