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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. Some of the patrons in the Coffee Shop speculate what about a reporter from the Channel 4 News?

2. Where does Deputy Nesbit take Ellen to sleep the night before the trial opens?

3. Looking out a window at the black protesters, Barry Acker realizes a guilty verdict will bring a riot and what will transpire?

4. What is Clyde Sisco's price?

5. During the closing statement to the jury, what does Jake say that must be withdrawn?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do the jurors feel more incarcerated than safe?

2. In Chapter 37, how does the consumption or abuse of alcohol come into play?

3. On Monday, the first morning of the trial, what positions does Jake direct Ellen and Harry Rex, his two assistants, to assume?

4. On the second day of the trial, what happens to Gerald Ault, Jake's "ace-in-the-hole"?

5. What happens when Ellen first arrives at Jake's office on the Sunday the National Guard arrives?

6. What issues did Lucien face in bringing thousands of black protesters to Clanton?

7. What offer does Lucien make to Jake regarding the jury that he objects to?

8. How do Buckley's and Jake's approaches differ?

9. What does Jake when the National Guard arrive?

10. How are the twelve jurors and two alternates sequestered?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Carl Lee Hailey clearly murdered two men who gang raped his ten-year-old daughter. While he did so in retaliation, it was not in the heat of the moment, but the result of well-planned and orchestrated maneuvering. Why don't Jake and Sheriff Ozzie Walls make make an effort to stop it before it will happen? Why is Deputy Looney, who Carl Lee shoots accidentally in the leg and which is amputated, able to forgive him, much less defend him in court? Why do Klansman in Nettles County believe the victims of the murder got what they deserved, but only retaliate given the racial differences? Explain why Carl Lee is treated and viewed with respect by the deputies, but feared by the other prisoners in the jail? Why does the jury find Carl Lee "not guilty by reason of insanity" when he was not? In delving deeper into these questions, what is the overall theme of the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Compare the Coffee Shop and Claude's. Who do they cater to? Who are the key figures related to these establishments? Elaborate on the function they serve in John Grisham's story. When does Jake Brigance patronize them and why?

Essay Topic 3

Examine the symbolism of the Ford County Courthouse. What is it supposed to represent? What does John Grisham use it to reflect? Address what the various characters do there in contrast with that symbolism. Also explore Barry Acker's speculation regarding previous trials.

(see the answer keys)

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