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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. Gwen Fife and Kinsey meet again at a restaurant the evening of their first meeting. What information does Gwen give Kinsey about her children?

2. When she sees her for the first time, what is Kinsey's impression of Sharon?

3. With the help of a friend, which Nevada city does Kinsey find out Sharon now lives in?

4. When Kinsey arrives at her office the day after meeting with Nikki at Rosie's Bar, what is the first thing she does?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. 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?

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

5. Kinsey tells Nikki she believes that Nikki is innocent. She agrees to take the case on certain conditions. What are they? What does Nikki do?

6. Gwen tells Kinsey that Laurence had an affair with the wife of a judge. What does Kinsey do with this information, and what does she find out?

7. How does Kinsey finally get in touch with Sharon Napier in Las Vegas, and what happens when she meets with her?

8. At the beginning of the novel, Kinsey is approached by Nikki Fife. What is Nikki's background, and what does she want Kinsey to do?

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

10. At Rosie's, Nikki and Kinsey go over some of the other people who were involved in Laurence's life. Who were Laurence's family members?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Conflict is a common element of writing in both fiction and nonfiction. Why is conflict so often used in narratives? How can it help move a story along? Give four examples where conflict in "'A' Is for Alibi" occurs and how it helps explain the relationship between Kinsey and other characters.

Essay Topic 2

Rising action in a story or novel leads to the climax. It is usually composed of conflict of some sort that will ultimately lead to a climax in the story. List five examples where Grafton introduces conflict into the rising action to lead the story to a climax.

Essay Topic 3

"'A' Is for Alibi" is a first-person narrative told from private investigator Kinsey Millhone's point of view. Briefly explain how the first-person narrative is effective and how it is limited. Give four specific examples that show how the story is effective told from Kinsey's point of view, and how our vicarious experience of them is enhanced.

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