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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 a policeman say that he got a lump on his head in Chapter 6?

2. For whom is Estelle viewing the apartment?

3. In the past two weeks, how many apartments have Julia and Ro looked at?

4. What did Zara's psychologist's parents do for a living?

5. What does Ro have for pets?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Jack have nightmares, and what does he do about them?

2. Why does the narrator say that the real estate agent was not doing a good job?

3. Why were the owners of the other apartment on the same floor as the apartment where the hostage drama was going on getting a divorce?

4. Why is the man in the rabbit head in the bathroom?

5. What is the name of the real estate agent's agency, and why does it have that name?

6. Who is London, and what information does she provide in her interview to the police?

7. What happened when a teenage boy saw a man on a bridge ten years ago?

8. Who comes out of the bathroom in Chapter 36?

9. What happened after the hostages left the apartment?

10. Who is Estelle and why is her husband not with her at the apartment showing?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Humor is a literary device that makes readers laugh. How does Backman use humor in the book? How does it help break up the tension in various scenes?

Essay Topic 2

The narrator comments that the word Stockholm represents more than a place. How is the word Stockholmers used in the book? What does it symbolize?

Essay Topic 3

In the novel, some characters are more thoroughly described than others. Who are some characters that are merely named in passing or have a minor role in the novel? What is the importance of these flat characters to the story line? In what way do these characters make the main characters more colorful or interesting? When there is conflict, what type of role do these flat characters play?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 944 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample