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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Sharon Napier tell Kinsey about Laurence Fife?

2. When Kinsey meets with Charlotte Mercer, what does Charlotte tell her?

3. What does Kinsey do after she leaves the Glass's residence?

4. In L.A., Kinsey meets with Libby Glass's parents. What are their names?

5. Kinsey is also working on an insurance fraud case. Whose apartment is she keeping tabs on after she concludes her first meeting with Charlie?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Kinsey Millhone's occupation, and what do we know about her lifestyle?

2. What does the reader find out about the city of Santa Teresa in Chapter 2?

3. How does Kinsey get to Las Vegas?

4. In Chapter 6, where does Kinsey meet Nikki to talk about what she has learned so far? What is the place like? What information do they share?

5. What is Con Dolan's impression of Kinsey's assessment of the Fife case?

6. When Kinsey meets with Gwen for the second time, this time at a restaurant, what does Gwen tell Kinsey about her relationship with Laurence?

7. What is Charlie's reaction to Nikki Fife's reopening the murder case? What does he say about Gwen Fife, Sharon Napier, and Libby Glass?

8. Kinsey confronts Lyle after she leaves the Glass residence by following him to his workplace. How does he respond to her questions about Libby?

9. At Rosie's, Nikki and Kinsey go over some of the other people who were involved in Laurence's life. Who were Laurence's family members?

10. How does Kinsey finally get in touch with Sharon Napier in Las Vegas, and what happens when she meets with her?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Rising action in a story or novel leads to the climax. It is usually composed of conflict of some sort that will ultimately lead to a climax in the story. List five examples where Grafton introduces conflict into the rising action to lead the story to a climax.

Essay Topic 2

State the theme of "'A' Is for Alibi." How is the theme of the story reflected in the conflicts Kinsey Millhone experiences as she works on her case? Give four examples with an explanation for each one.

Essay Topic 3

Define the component of the literary element of plot known as exposition. What purpose does it serve in writing? Give four examples of Sue Grafton's use of exposition in "'A' Is for Alibi" that enhance the novel.

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