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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 odd subject does Sughrue bully Gleeson with?

2. What best describes Jimmy Flowers?

3. Who was with Betty Sue the night she disappeared?

4. Where does Sughrue track Trahearne to before they ever meet?

5. Who does Sughrue encounter during a walk through the woods?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Melinda's present life say about her now?

2. What events does the use of alcohol foreshadow as the book opens?

3. How do Selma Hinds' actions characterize her?

4. Are Sughrue's descriptions of Albert Griffith accurate? Why or why not?

5. Sughrue and the nurse connect quickly. What side of his personality does this event reveal?

6. How does Peggy Blain's explanation of Betty Sue contribute to the development of Betty Sue's allure?

7. What does Charles Gleeson's relationship with Betty Sue symbolize?

8. Why is it significant that Albert Griffith searched the morgue for Betty Sue?

9. Why would Sughrue just accept the beatings from Jackson's men?

10. How would Sughrue be affected by his experiences in Vietnam and the discovery of the butchered 14-year old boy?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What does the novel's title mean? Which characters does it reference? Why?

Essay Topic 2

Stacy has a small role in the novel. She does deal with all major characters at least once. What is the purpose of Stacy's character?

Essay Topic 3

Trahearne has previous and successful writing and writing that he is wanting to complete. These two types of writing are very different. What does Trahearne's writing symbolize at different stages in his life?

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