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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 was the detective who Mrs. Almore's parents hired to investigate her death sent to jail for?

2. After finding the gold heart, who does Marlowe speculate killed Muriel?

3. What does Kingsley tell Marlowe, when Marlowe asks if Mrs. Kingsley has a gun?

4. How does Marlowe open the window of Bill Chess's cabin?

5. How does Marlowe see Almore telephoning?

Short Essay Questions

1. What reasons does Marlowe give that Lavery might be lying?

2. How does the woman in Lavery's house leave?

3. How does Marlowe know the name of the person who lives across the street from Lavery?

4. What gives Marlowe a scare while he is searching the Chesses' cabin?

5. What do Bill Chess's wife and Kingsley's wife have in common?

6. What does Birdie know about Marlowe's identity?

7. How does Bill Chess respond when Marlowe asks if Muriel and Crystal might have gone away together?

8. What does Marlowe say that they'll have to do to get financial information about Kingsley's wife?

9. What important information does the bellhop at the Prescott Hotel offer, based on the photo of Crystal Kingsley?

10. How does Miss Fromsett describe Florence Almore?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Marlowe learns the truth through investigation and interviewing. Discuss investigation and interviewing in the novel.

1) What techniques does Marlowe use to investigate? How does he approach interviewing people?

2) How do Marlowe's interviewing techniques vary in different situations, with different people?

3) What information is Marlowe able to acquire by talking to people? What makes his interviews effective or ineffective?

Essay Topic 2

The Lady in the Lake involves characters changing and hiding their Identities. Discuss the concept of identity in the novel.

1) How is identity obscured in the novel? Who attempts to obscure their identity, and why?

2) How do the characters know others' identities? How do characters create their identities?

3) How does Marlowe formulate his own identity? How do others perceive him?

Essay Topic 3

The story behind The Lady in the Lake is one of relationships: husbands and wives, lovers, and jealous rivals. Discuss relationships in the novel.

1) What do men and women want from relationships in the novel?

2) Discuss Lavery's relationships. Who is Lavery? What do women want from him? What does Lavery expect out of relationships?

3) Do romantic relationships lead to happiness in the novel? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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