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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 Dixie Lee kill a child?

2. Why is Dave put in a cell with heinous criminals?

3. What subject causes Hollister to threaten Dave?

4. Why does Dave have to spend the night there?

5. What does the letter Dave receives tell him to do?

Short Essay Questions

1. What evidence is there that Purcel is still on the wrong side of the law?

2. Who are Dave's cell mates and why is he placed in this cell?

3. Describe Cletus Purcel.

4. What is Dave remembering at the end of this chapter and how might that memory influence him to some sort of action?

5. What is Darlene American Horse like and how does she seem to figure in to the storyline?

6. How does Dave spend his time in jail?

7. What does Dio offer Dave and what is Dave's response? Do you think Dave is right to refuse Dio's aid?

8. What do you think the package in Dave's mailbox means?

9. What does Nygurski say Sally Dio is doing?

10. With what crime is Dave charged and what does he realize as to why they are charging him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When Darlene dies of an apparent suicide, Dave believes it is murder. Dave goes to a priest to talk about Darlene and her death. Discuss the following:

1. How important do you think Dave's Catholic religion is to him? Do you think the priest helps Dave deal with Darlene's death?

2. Do you think Dave's religious beliefs have any bearing on how he conducts his life? Explain fully.

3. Dave appears to be raising Alafair as a Catholic, even sending her to Catholic schools? Do you think children should attend parochial schools? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Dave visits a Blackfeet Indian Reservation to obtain information about possible murder victims. Discuss the following:

1. Why and when were Indian Reservations established? Were they moral? Just?

2. What do you think Indians at the time of the establishment of Reservations felt about them? How do you think modern-day Indians feel about Reservations?

3. How would you feel about living on a Reservation?

Essay Topic 3

In most fiction, readers would like all the loose ends to be neatly "tied up." Discuss the following:

1. Do you think Black Cherry Blues is successful as a detective novel? Why or why not.

2. What about this book would motivate you to read another of James Lee Burke's Robicheaux series? What would discourage you from doing so?

3. Were all the "loose ends" satisfactorily settle for you? Why or why not.

(see the answer keys)

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