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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 happens the morning after Kinsey first meets with Sharon?

2. What does Kinsey say is a negative about using poison as a murder weapon?

3. What does Lyle suggest to Kinsey was the cause of Libby's death?

4. Which phrase best describes the Santa Teresa detective who is Kinsey's contact?

5. Why does Kinsey go to see the Santa Teresa detective in Chapter 2?

Short Essay Questions

1. Kinsey confronts Lyle after she leaves the Glass residence by following him to his workplace. How does he respond to her questions about Libby?

2. What does Kinsey learn when she stops to speak to Laurence Fife's pharmacist before she leaves Montebello?

3. After her discussion with Charlotte Mercer, Kinsey decides she must find Sharon Napier. How does she do this?

4. After discovering Sharon Napier's whereabouts, Kinsey decides she must visit Los Angeles first. Whom does she go to see there and what does she find out?

5. Before she agrees to work for Nikki, Kinsey questions her about her marriage to Laurence. What does Nikki tell her? How does Kinsey respond to her?

6. What is Charlie's reaction to Nikki Fife's reopening the murder case? What does he say about Gwen Fife, Sharon Napier, and Libby Glass?

7. The day after meeting Charlie Scorsoni, Kinsey meets Gwen Fife. Where do they meet, and what does Kinsey learn?

8. What happens when Lyle comes over to lunch at the Glasses'?

9. Kinsey meets Nikki for the second time at Rosie's Bar. What is Rose's Bar, and what do they discuss there?

10. Kinsey and Nikki discuss how Laurence died. What was the cause of his death?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Tragic Flaw. Discuss your overall impression of Kinsey as a person. Is she good, bad, or average? What are her particular qualities that shape her personality and character as a human being? What is Kinsey's tragic flaw, and what is its part in "'A' Is for Alibi"?

Essay Topic 2

State the theme of A is for Alibi. How does the theme of the story reflected in the conflict? Give four examples with an explanation for each one.

Essay Topic 3

Explain how dialogue serves as a device to enhance:

(1) Exposition

(2) Characterization

(3) Foreshadowing

(4) Resolution

Give one example from "'A' Is for Alibi" that illustrates each of these elements.

(see the answer keys)

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