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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 Ozzie determine what is in the ticking case the stranger has brought to the front porch of of Jake's home?

2. Who is Jake's favorite waitress at the Coffee Shop?

3. How long does the preliminary hearing for Billy Ray Cobb and Pete Willard last?

4. Following his motion to withdraw on Friday, Jake does what?

5. On the morning of the day he first meets Ellen, what is it Jake recalls Carla could tell during their phone conversation the night before?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who does Billy Ray Cobb's brother, Freddie, approach in seeking revenge, and what is the result?

2. How does Rufus Buckley make use of the illegally-obtained jury list?

3. What do readers learn about Jake Brigance in Chapter 8?

4. What sort of a lawman is Sheriff Ozzie Walls?

5. What is the trajectory of Judge Omar Noose's career that has led him to his current status?

6. Why is Carl Lee reluctant to rehire Jake?

7. What are some of the efforts made in Clanton in preparation for the trial?

8. Why does John Grisham open his story with such horrific detail of the crime?

9. What does the reader learn in the dialogue between Carl Lee Hailey and Jake Brigance in Chapter 4?

10. Why does Judge Noose impose a gag order?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

John Grisham presents a dark story. A 10-year-old girl is beaten, urinated on, and raped by two drunk, Mississippi rednecks. She endures unreal, subsequent trauma afterward. Her father kills the perpetrators. He is placed on trial for their murders and may be killed. A "snitch" in the KKK warns local law enforcement of potential attacks, and is himself killed in retribution. A KKK leader is killed with a Molotov cocktail. Others die in Grisham's novel, "A Time to Kill." Explain what the author is referring to by his title.

Essay Topic 2

When Freddie Cobb arrives at the Ku Klux Klan meeting in Nettles County, he attempts to gain their help in retaliation for his brother's murder. How do Klan members view Billy Ray's murder? How will they accomplish this? What is the outcome of their peaceful demonstration outside the Clanton Courthouse? Examine the KKK's actions in this story, as well as the consequences.

Essay Topic 3

John Grisham is familiar with various firearms types and their uses, just as he is knowledgeable with the differences in styles and purposes of a Saab and a Ford Bronco. Weapons from several categories are referred to at various points in his tale. Identify the styles of weapons found in his novel and their functions. Examine Grisham's intention in selecting the firearms at key points within the text.

(see the answer keys)

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