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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 does Brennan think the second Murtry Island victim might be in Chapter 26?

2. What is the name of the class that Harry joined?

3. In Chapter 32, a letter is found promising more followers. How was the cult recruiting people to meet their quota?

4. What does measuring the distance between two holes on the bones show Brennan in Chapter 27?

5. What reason does Kit give for missing his mother's message about being held against her will?

Short Essay Questions

1. Kathryn gives Brennan more information to connect St-Jovite to the Saint Helena commune in Chapter 25. What does she tell Brennan that shows this connection?

2. In Chapter 34, what does Brennan tell Elle that makes Elle angry?

3. In Chapter 31, Kit tells that he missed a message from Harry. How did he miss it? What was significant about the message?

4. In Chapter 30, how does Anna know Amalie Provencher? What was their relationship?

5. In Chapter 28, Ryan calls Brennan. What happened to the people at the Saint Helena compound? What happened to the people in Texas? Why is this odd?

6. In Chapter 19, Kathryn lets a few clues slip about the investigation. What are they (give at least two) and how do they relate to the case?

7. In Chapter 27, new information about the murder of Jennifer Cannon comes to light. Compare and contrast the known information about Carole Comptois' and Jennifer Cannon's deaths. Is there anything to suggest a link?

8. In Chapter 25, Kathryn shows up at Brennan's door. What does she say was Heidi's motivation for leaving the commune?

9. In Chapter 32, the author reveals more of Ryan's personality or character traits. What kind of person is Ryan? What does he value? Use details from the novel to support your assertions.

10. The climax occurs at the end of Chapter 33. What happens? Why is this the climax and not a later event?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

A climax chart helps organize the events of a story. Looking at a climax chart for "Death Du Jour," would you change the order? Why or why not? How does the order of the rising action help the effectiveness of the climax? Does it weaken the climax? In an analytical essay, determine the effectiveness of the organization of the novel. Use example from "Death Du Jour" to defend your position.

Essay Topic 2

Keeping in mind that the narrator is not necessarily the voice, a novel still reveals an author's values. What does Kathy Reichs value in life? How do you know? What does she disvalue in life? Defend your assertions by using examples in your essay.

Essay Topic 3

The author uses allusions in the novel, "Death Du Jour." These allusions are meant to be easily recognized by the reader and add to the scene. Find at least three allusions used in the novel and write an essay about how the allusions support the mood, setting, and/or characterization in the scene. Moreover, you will need to do some research into the allusion. Who or what was alluded? What is most well-known about the allusion?

(see the answer keys)

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