View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where did Grueman keep his belongings?

2. Who does Scarpetta actually hire as a lawyer?

3. Jennifer wanted to help Waddell with his ________________.

4. What does Marino want Scarpetta to prove to him?

5. What does Scarpetta notice is missing from her own office after Susan's death?

Short Essay Questions

1. What question does Grueman have about Scarpetta's finances?

2. Why does Scarpetta find the request to see her guns ridiculous?

3. Why do Benton and Scarpetta rearrange the furniture in Robyn's old house?

4. Over dinner at the ski lodge, what do Benton and Scarpetta decide is an unlikely hypothesis of Waddell?

5. How does Scarpetta know that the killer only had access to crime scene pictures, not the crime scene itself, of Robyn's murder?

6. How does the press know about Scarpetta's meeting with the governor?

7. How does Scarpetta explain away the incriminating evidence found in Susan's home?

8. Why does Jennifer's ex-husband like Scarpetta so much?

9. What act of kindness does Charlie Hale do for Scarpetta?

10. What does Scarpetta learn about the bullets used in both Eddie Heath's and Susan's cases?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Identify what you think is the tone for the novel and discuss 3 literary devices that Cornwell uses to create this tone.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss at least 4 ways "Cruel and Unusual" would be different if it were to take place in a very rural setting.

Essay Topic 3

Is Cornwell using "Cruel and Unusual" as a means for making a commentary on the death penalty? If so, what is her message, and what 3 literary devices does she use to convey her opinion on the issue?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 721 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample