View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Rutledge think of the murder victim?

2. Where did the murder that will be investigated in this novel take place?

3. Where is Scotland Yard?

4. What does Rutledge tell Bowles when he calls from Scotland Yard in Chapter 9?

5. Which veterans of the war does Wilton suggest are the worst off?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Royston tell Rutledge he once borrowed money from Colonel Harris?

2. Who is Daniel Hickam? Why is he not considered a reliable witness in the murder of Colonel Charles Harris?

3. Why did Harris stop Mavers from joining the military as Mavers describes it in Chapter 5?

4. Who is Bowles? Why does he dislike Rutledge?

5. What does Wilton deny doing the morning of the murder that goes directly against eye witness testimony?

6. What is revealed when the author switches point of views at the beginning of Chapter 7?

7. What does Rutledge feel is unusual about the position in which the body of Colonel Harris was found?

8. Who does Rutledge give money to at the end of Chapter 6? For what reason?

9. What does Mavers lecture about in public that expresses his unhappiness with the aristocracy in England and particularly Colonel Harris?

10. What skill does Rutledge fear he has lost in his experiences in the war?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is shell shock? Who experiences shell shock in this novel? What symptoms of shell shock does each character experience in the novel? What is the modern equivalent of shell shock? How does shell shock influence or take away from the investigation into Harris' murder? How has shell shock have the power to ruin the reputation of a main character of the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Who is Lettice Wood? What is her condition the first time Rutledge interviews her? Why does this cause Rutledge to believe Lettice is hiding something? What kind of answers does Lettice give to Rutledge's many questions? Why does Rutledge find himself routinely returning to talk to Lettice? Who does Lettice remind Rutledge of? What information about her relationship to Harris does Lettice finally reveal to Rutledge that takes away Wilton's motive for murder? How is this information a sad turn for Rutledge in comparison to his own experiences?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss one of the following characters and their motives for murder in detail, citing examples from the novel to support your conclusions:

1) Wilton

2) Mavers

3) Royston

4) Hickam.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 928 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample