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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 Kinsey take back to her motel room from the Glass residence?

2. Once Kinsey returns home from Los Angeles, she has to make a difficult phone call regarding Sharon. Who is the call to?

3. Charlie shows up soon after she's reviewed the Fife case. Why has he come to see her?

4. Why is Kinsey disappointed with the homicide detective's conclusions on the "Darling Elizabeth" letter?

5. What is the result of what Kinsey does on the insurance fraud case?

Short Essay Questions

1. After Diane talks about her parents, Kinsey asks her about Bruno, the dog who died on the last Labor Day weekend Laurence was alive. How does Diane respond to this?

2. Where does Kinsey go after she has attempted to find out more from Colin about Gwen?

3. Kinsey now knows that Gwen killed Laurence but is still puzzled about the deaths of Libby and Sharon. She realizes there must be another murderer. Where does she go, and what does she plan to do?

4. What does Greg Fife tell Kinsey about his father's allergy that might have some bearing on the case?

5. On the Monday after her meal with Charlie, Kinsey meets with Con Dolan at homicide. What is the outcome of her meeting with Con?

6. While driving back to Santa Teresa after visiting Garry Steinberg, what does Kinsey realize about her relationship with Charlie? How do Sharon's phone bills help her verify this?

7. What details does Kinsey have to take care of when she returns to her motel in Los Angeles, after concluding her meetings with Greg and Diane Fife?

8. After fighting and reconciling with Charlie, Kinsey meets with Homicide Detective Dolan again. What does he tell her about the "Darling Elizabeth" letter? How does Kinsey feel about this?

9. Kinsey takes boxes of Libby's things back to the motel room. What does she do and what does she find?

10. After her third visit to the Glass residence, Kinsey returns to Santa Teresa and sleeps until 4 in the afternoon. Then she heads to Nikki's beach house. What happens at the beach house?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The setting refers to the time and the place where a story takes place. Compare and contrast the main settings of "'A' Is for Alibi": Santa Teresa, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. How do the settings have an impact on the novel? Cite at least three examples for each setting.

Essay Topic 2

Tone refers to the attitude of the author of a work. Through Kinsey, as the narrator of "'A' Is for Alibi," what is the author's tone at different stages of the book? Explain the tone, with examples:

1) At the beginning of the book, when Kinsey takes on the Fife case

2) When Kinsey is doing the groundwork of her investigation

3) When Kinsey gets involved with Charlie

4) When Kinsey gets the answers she needs to solve the case

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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