View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What do the characters shown at the beginning of Section 9 say they will provide for Marchica?

2. Who are the characters shown at the beginning of Section 9 worried about confessing?

3. How does Captain Bellodi react after the girls tell him what they think of his story about the mafia in Section 10?

4. What do the confessions the police obtain insinuate Colasberna did to cause him to be murdered?

5. According to the first confession the police hear in Section 7, who claims they had no prior knowledge about the murder until after it occurred?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the two men talking at the beginning of Section 9 worried about?

2. How do the police obtain a murder confession to show Marchica in Section 6?

3. How does Pizzuco react when the police show him Marchica's confession?

4. What happens when a woman named Livia invites the captain and his friend to her house in Parma?

5. How does Don Arena react to his police interrogation in Section 9?

6. How does the wife of the high-ranking minister known as "His Excellency" react when he answers a phone call in Section 8?

7. How does the captain try and prove the don had connection to corrupt building projects in Section 9?

8. How is the Grimoli Chiarchiaro first described in the book?

9. Why do the police arrest Marchica before the other suspects in Section 6?

10. How does Don Arena react when police mention his daughter during his interrogation in Section 9?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the important role respect played in the mafia. How do members of the mafia gain respect from Sicilian citizens and other members? What role does respect appear to play in the mafia, namely in regards to the hierarchy of its members?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the characters Captain Bellodi and Don Arena in the book. How does the author draw similarities in these two characters during the don's interrogation and what do you think he may be suggesting about the nature of Sicilian's based on this portrayal?

Essay Topic 3

A main theme presented throughout the book is an analysis of the nature of Sicilian society in the 1960s. Part 1.) What can we learn about the fear many Sicilians had based on the reactions of the bus passengers onboard when Salvatore is shot? Part 2.) What evidence is present to suggest the mafia is responsible for many of the actions of the Sicilian society during the 1960s based on their portrayal in this book? Part 3.) What possibility is there of the police seeing a change in the nature of the Sicilian society and how do they try and achieve this change?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 763 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample