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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 does Gwen say made her bitter about the end of her marriage to Laurence Fife?

2. What is the name of the hotel where Sharon Napier worked?

3. What was Libby Glass' occupation?

4. When Kinsey first visits him, what is the police detective's assessment of the Libby Glass case?

5. What poison was used to kill both Laurence Fife and Libby Glass?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

2. What happens when Kinsey gets to Sharon's apartment?

3. Who is Con Dolan, and why does Kinsey go to visit him?

4. In Chapter 6, where does Kinsey meet Nikki to talk about what she has learned so far? What is the place like? What information do they share?

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

6. What is Con Dolan's impression of Kinsey's assessment of the Fife case?

7. Immediately after taking on Nikki's case, Kinsey turns her attention to Charlie Scorsoni, Laurence Fife's law partner. What is the result of this?

8. What is Kinsey's impression of Las Vegas?

9. After Nikki writes Kinsey a check for her services, the women talk about Sharon Napier. Who is Sharon and what does Nikki tell Kinsey about her? Whom does Kinsey suggest she herself should talk to?

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

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

In reference to the plotting of "'A' Is for Alibi":

(1) Why are the events of the novel arranged as they are?

(2) What moves the narrative along? Is it external action or internal conflicts? Or a combination of both? Support your answer with three examples.

Essay Topic 3

What does authenticity mean when it applies to the writing of fiction? What must be made authentic in the genre of mystery novel writing? Give four examples of specific topics or events that the author has made authentic in "'A' is for Alibi."

(see the answer keys)

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