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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. Where were the bodies of Deborah Harvey and Fred Cheney found?

2. What happens when Scarpetta speaks to her lover on the phone?

3. What is the name of Scarpetta's sometime lover?

4. When Pat Harvey shows Hilda a picture of Deborah, what does Hilda immediately know?

5. Who are the two investigators Scarpetta lunches with to discuss the missing teens case?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Scarpetta reluctant to say Deborah Harvey was killed by a shot in the back?

2. What is the problem with the cartridge casing Scarpetta finds at the Cheney-Harvey murder scene?

3. Describe Hilda Ozimek.

4. How does Scarpetta's Italian background influence some of her decisions?

5. Explain Wesley's reasons for not keeping Scarpetta informed.

6. How does Ozimek describe a mysterious man she "sees" in the pictures of the woods where Harvey and Cheney were murdered?

7. What information is Scarpetta after when she meets Wesley for lunch in Chapter 9?

8. What does Marino think the killer did to get Fred to go into the woods without resistance?

9. As Chapter 1 opens, what is Scarpetta's perspective on working with other police agencies involved in VICAP?

10. What's stressful for Scarpetta in dealing with parents?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose one of the following to write about:

1) Discuss the multiple issues the FBI was balancing while investigating The Couple Killings and the impact of those issues on the investigation.

2) Abby Turnbull and Pat Harvey share information with each other on a regular basis. Do you think this was a reasonable thing for Abby to do? Use examples from the story to support your answer.

3) Pat Harvey was convinced Steven Spurrier murdered her daughter and that Spurrier would never be convicted. Ms. Harvey decided to take matters into her own hands. What do you think of Pat Harvey's decision and should her actions have been foreseen by the police and FBI? Use examples from the book to explain your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Manipulating public sentiment is another element in this story, illustrated by Pat Harvey's use of the press. But this can be a move that has serious consequences. What are the dangers of denouncing government agencies publicly? Was Pat Harvey right to go to the press with her accusations? If you were an ordinary citizen, would you have believed Harvey's conspiracy theories? Be sure to fully explain your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Hilda Ozimek, the psychic, played a key role in this story. The following two part question addresses the nature of this character in the development of the story's plot. Be sure to support your answer using examples from the story.

a) How is Ozimek's character useful in moving the story forward?

b) Could the author have used another device or character with equal effectiveness?

(see the answer keys)

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