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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What guarantee does Andy provide to Laurie the day before Jacob's school reopens?
(a) That he will catch the murderer.
(b) That Jacob will be safe.
(c) That God will provide what the community needs.
(d) That the school principal knows what he is doing.

2. Andy tells Duffy that who will make a fool of Duffy in court if Duffy does not run a clean and thorough investigation?
(a) Jacob.
(b) Andy.
(c) Neal.
(d) Lynn.

3. Andy states that "A good marriage drags a long tail of" what "behind it" (25)?
(a) Resentment.
(b) Memory.
(c) History.
(d) Nostalgia.

4. How old is Andy at the time of Ben's murder?
(a) 45.
(b) 35.
(c) 51.
(d) 39.

5. What had been the nature of the relationship between Neal and Andy before Ben Rifkin's murder?
(a) Neal had been Andy's mentor.
(b) Andy had been Neal's mentor.
(c) Neal had been Andy's brother-in-law.
(d) Neal and Andy had been rivals for the same position.

Short Answer Questions

1. What amount of bail does Neal request be placed upon Jacob in the interim before the murder trial?

2. What position does Andy hold at the time Ben's body is discovered?

3. Who accompanies Jacob to school the day it reopens after Ben's murder?

4. How does Andy say he feels about men of his father's generation?

5. How many stories does the Middlesex County Courthouse have?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the symbolism of the look of distaste on Laurie's face when Andy takes her hand in the courthouse elevator?

2. How is the theme of deception depicted within Andy's conversation with Sarah in Chapter 5?

3. What is Jacob's explanation for the most damning clue in the murder case?

4. Discuss one coping mechanism Andy uses to get through Jacob's murder trial.

5. What major realization about life does Andy describe arriving at as a result of meeting Laurie in college?

6. What qualities of Andy's character are revealed in the moment when Jacob learns about his grandfather's and great-grandfather's violent histories?

7. Discuss the meaning of the epigraph for Part One of the novel.

8. What job does Andy hold at the time of Ben's murder, and how is he involved in the homicide response?

9. How is the email address of the mysterious link-sender used to demonstrate the major theme within the text?

10. Discuss one statement that Andy makes under oath and then names as a deception to the reader.

(see the answer keys)

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