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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. How does Kinsey respond to the Santa Teresa homicide detective's interest in Sharon Napier's death?

2. What was Greg Fife's relationship with his father, Laurence, like?

3. On her second visit to their house, what does Kinsey hear in the Glass's basement?

4. While visiting Nikki and Colin for the second time, what does Kinsey tell her about Laurence?

5. The day after her visit to Sharon's apartment, Kinsey meets with Gwen Fife's son Greg. Where does he live?

Short Essay Questions

1. When she gets home from Nikki's beach house, Charlie is waiting for Kinsey, but she is not very happy to see him. She agrees to go to dinner with him. What happens at the Ranch House restaurant?

2. What is the result of Kinsey's going to the Ranch House restaurant with Charlie?

3. 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?

4. What surprising things does Gwen Fife tell Kinsey when she meets her at Rosie's Bar?

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

6. 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?

7. Kinsey phones Charlotte Mercer after discussing the "Darling Elizabeth" letter with Con Dolan. What does Charlotte tell her? Who can Kinsey now eliminate as suspects? Who can't she eliminate, causing her uneasiness?

8. Kinsey decides she has to return to Nikki's beach house to follow up on something. What is it, and what is the result of the follow up?

9. What does Kinsey do when she returns to the Glass residence the day after the explosion?

10. After taking photos of Marcia Threadgill, Garry Steinberg passes some information on to Kinsey. What is it, and why might it be important to the case?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The role of the protagonist is portrayed in "'A' Is for Alibi" in both a positive and a negative light. Give at least three examples from the novel that characterize Kinsey in both these lights. Analyze one aspect of her behavior in the novel that shows her, as a protagonist, less than perfect.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

What role do other characters play in the mystery novel "'A' Is for Alibi"? Are they as important to the narrative as the narrator (Kinsey) is? Give four examples where four other characters are central to the storytelling. Give two examples where the narrative is focused only on Kinsey. Give two examples where Kinsey's relationship with two other characters is the focus of the narrative.

(see the answer keys)

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