The minds of sleepwalking killers

Multiple Choice - Read the article and choose the best answer for the questions below.

1. Dr. Idzikowski recorded Brian Thomas while he was asleep in order to find
A. signs of behaviors that commonly lead to sleep-walking
B. out how often Thomas engaged in sleep-walking
C. to rule out other sleep disorders such as sleep apnea
D. to measure how sleep deprivation affected him

2. In sleep-walking murder trials, witness testimony can help establish the validity of the sleep-
walking defense by
A. affirming that the suspect was unable to talk during the crime
B. affirming that unusual stressors were present in the suspect’s life
C. affirming that the suspect’s eyes were closed during the crime
D. affirming signs of malingering

3. The story of the French detective is used to illustrate

A. the lack of awareness of the sleep-walking killers
B. the fear some sleep-walkers have that they will cause injury
C. the possibility of predicting a sleep-walking crime
D. the need to prevent reocurrence of sleep-walking homicides

4. Brain research shows that when a person sleep-walks

A. they are unable to do things like drive or operate machines
B. waking them suddently prevent them from attacking
C. they have an extra stage in their sleep-cycle
D. the parts of the brain related to emotions are highly functioning

5. Which of the following is not claimed in the article

A. scientists are able to cause someone to sleepwalk
B. children can grow out of sleep-walking
C. sleepwalking is a purely hereditary condition
D. alcohol can trigger sleep-walking episodes

Vocabulary – match the words or phrases from the text and the correct definition
1. ____to strangle A. process, or deal with rapidly or steadily in a mechanical way
2. ____parasomnia B. likely or liable to be influenced or harmed by a particular thing
3. ____to deem C. a sleep disorder that involves unusual and undesirable physical events
4. ____to malinger D. a part that is left after the greater part has been used, removed, or destroyed
5. ____to acquit E. squeeze the neck of a person or animal, especially so as to cause death.
6. ____to churn through F. regard or consider in a specified way
7. ____remnant G. pretend to be ill usually in order to escape duty or work
8. ____susceptible H. free (someone) from a criminal charge by a verdict of not guilty
Now use the vocabulary words in your own example sentences.
1. to strangle

2. parasomnia

3. to deem

4. to malinger

5. to acquit

6. to churn through

7. remnant

8. susceptible

Discussion Questions
1. What was 1 thing you found interesting or surprising, or what was 1 piece of new information
you learned from the article?
2. If you were on a jury, and a murder suspect claimed they had been sleep-walking during the
crime, what evidence would convince you they were telling the truth? What evidence would
convince you that they were lying?
3. If someone has murdered in their sleep, should they be acquitted and allowed to go free? Is
there any fair way to ensure that s/he does not do it again?
4. Based on what you read, why do people sleepwalk?
5. If you knew you were a sleepwalker, what precautions would you take to avoid hurting yourself
or others?
6. The article said that sleep-walking crimes are becoming more common. Why might that be?
7. The article discourages people from trying to wake up a sleep-walker. If you saw a sleep-walker
about to harm himself or someone else, what would you do?