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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. Who is Lucy?

2. How old is Eddie Health?

3. With whom does Susan catch a ride on the day most employees cannot come to work?

4. Who tells Scarpetta that the police were able to lift several fingerprints from the scene where Jennifer's body was found?

5. What has Lucy done to Scarpetta's office without asking while Scarpetta is at work?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Jennifer Deighton do for a living?

2. What makes Marino and Scarpetta think Jennifer was not killed as part of a robbery.

3. Describe Scarpetta's personal life.

4. What is so strange about the prison warden's behavior at the holiday party Scarpetta attends?

5. Who is Nicholas Grueman?

6. What does Marino confess to Scarpetta about his dating life while over at her house on Christmas?

7. What has happened to Eddie Heath?

8. What medical case/situation does a detective ask for Scarpetta's advice on while she is dealing with Waddell's body?

9. Why is the prison nearly empty when Marino and Scarpetta go to investigate Waddell's execution?

10. Who was Robyn Naismith?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast 2 female characters from "Cruel and Unusual" (like Lucy and Scarpetta or Susan and Scarpetta).

Essay Topic 2

Given what you know about Scarpetta's character, address why she is so hesitant to discuss the money she took out of her account to help the Hales. Make sure to discuss at least 3 specific events or decisions in the novel that help develop the reader's awareness of Scarpetta's personality that lead her to not be open about her offer to the Hales.

Essay Topic 3

Some fans of the Scarpetta series have been disappointed in later books in the series. They believe that Cornwell has drifted away from what makes Scarpetta so appealing in the first place. Discuss the 3 most appealing aspects of Scarpetta's character. How does Cornwell convey those characteristics to the audience so that the reader is drawn into the book/series?

(see the answer keys)

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