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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. Which of the following does NOT describe Molly Perkins?

2. What does Catherine first notice when she looks in the door of the tenant house?

3. What was Catherine's nickname in college?

4. Why did Catherine feel obligated to be kind to the new doctor in Lowfield?

5. What is the name of the librarian?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the last time that Catherine talked to Leona Gaites, as she explains it to Sheriff Galton.

2. Who does the body that Catherine discovers turn out to be and why is the sheriff disturbed at the discovery?

3. Who does Catherine see on the way to the farm the day she discovers the body? Where does she see this person? How does she feel about telling this to the sheriff?

4. Explain why Catherine has to drive Tom to work on Tuesday and Leila's reaction to seeing them together.

5. What does Catherine find in the old, abandoned tenant house and what is her reaction?

6. What is the place or position of the Perkins family in Lowfield? Who are they as citizens of the town?

7. Describe the discovery of Tom's body. What is Catherine's reaction and her emotional state? Who else is in Tom's house and why?

8. Why do Randall and Tom both pay Catherine a visit at her house after she comes home from the sheriff's office on the day she finds the body?

9. What is Catherine's own idea of her present image in Lowfield and how does she feel about it?

10. What is Catherine's explanation for why her father's old office is so close to her home?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

This novel is largely told from the point of view of the main character, Catherine Linton. Because of this, we only learn about the other characters in the novel through her eyes. Describe why this is important to consider when thinking about what we know about the other characters in the novel. Do the treatments of the characters by the author mirror the opinions of Catherine Linton of those characters? Provide examples to support your answer. What effect would point of view changes have on the novel itself?

Essay Topic 2

In the small town of Lowfield, it seems that everyone knows each other. Discuss Catherine's relationship with other more prevalent characters in the novel and how her relationships affect the development of the novel and perhaps even Catherine herself. Talk about Catherine's relationships with Sheriff Galton, Randall Gerrard, and Tom Mascalco. Include examples from the book to support your opinions.

Essay Topic 3

Symbols are commonly used in literature to represent an idea or feeling that the author chooses to be present in the novel. For example, in "Sweet and Deadly," a couple of the symbols used include the dun colored dog and the baseball bat used to commit the crimes. The dog can be seen as the symbol for the "circle of life" that Catherine and Randall talk about a few times and the baseball bat can identify the hostility of the killer. Use these symbols and provide other examples from the novel and answer the following questions. What do the symbols in the novel stand for? How? What do the symbols promote or convey to the reader in the novel? How does the author use the symbol to convey an idea and why does she use the symbol instead of simply stating her idea?

(see the answer keys)

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