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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 is Mrs. Davenant's opinion of the relationship between Catherine Tarrant and Rolf Linden?

2. Why does Redfern tell Rutledge he believes a fight between Harris and Refern the Tuesday before the murder could not have been terribly serious?

3. What motive does Wilton have for murdering Harris?

4. What does Rutledge tell Lettice Wood Mark Wilton might do to deal with his guilty conscious in Chapter 19?

5. Who objects loudly to Rutledge's decision to postpone arresting Wilton?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Lettice Wood say about her thoughts on Wilton's possible motives for murder?

2. What does Rutledge discover in Chapter 20 when he goes into Helena Sommers' bedroom the morning of the funeral?

3. Why does Rutledge question women in the village square in Chapter 14 about Mavers' alibi?

4. Why does the author switch point of view in a series of vignettes at the end of Chapter 17?

5. In what condition does Rutledge find the owner of the doll he found in Chapter 12 in the meadow where Harris' body was found?

6. Why does Rutledge agree in Chapter 18 to delay his arrest of Captain Wilton until after the funeral?

7. What does Rutledge reveal in the beginning of Chapter 19 that he believes happened in the meadow the morning of the murder?

8. What does Lettice Wood reveal to Rutledge in Chapter 19 after he wakes her in the middle of the night?

9. What information does Mrs. Davenant give Rutledge about Wilton in Chapter 11 that could provide a motive for murder?

10. Who does Rutledge learn was a nurse during the war? What does this say about this particular character?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Who is Ian Rutledge? Whose voice does he hear in his head? Why is he often surprised others cannot hear this voice? Why does Rutledge hear voices? Where has Rutledge been? What experience has caused Rutledge to hear this voice in his head? What was he before this experience? Who expects Rutledge to fail now that he has returned? Why? What does Rutledge think of his own chances of success in his current situation?

Essay Topic 2

Who is Mavers? Why do the people of the village immediately point to Mavers as the chief suspect in Harris' death? Why have Mavers and Harris had a falling out? What has this done to Mavers' life? is Mavers fair in his assessment of Harris? Who pays Mavers' pension? Why is everyone in the village surprised to learn this fact late in the novel? What does this say about Mavers' motive for murder?

Essay Topic 3

What does Lettice reveal about her relationship with Harris? How did this changing relationship lead to a fight between Harris and Lettice? Harris and Wilton? How could this argument have been motive for murder? Is it? Why does Lettice fail to tell this story to Rutledge until late in the novel? What is Lettice trying to hide? Has Lettice done something wrong? Has Harris? What might the public have though had this truth come out more publicly?

(see the answer keys)

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