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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. What does Mercer do?

2. How do Brenda's parents feel about her job?

3. Who calls searching for Dr. Lorrimer?

4. Who does Susan think she will talk to for help about Cliff?

5. What is the significance of the mallet being in Dr. Lorrimer's lab?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Susan Bradley ask of Paul Middlemass and what does he do about the request?

2. What does Howarth do after Dalgliesh arrives and what does Dalgliesh learn about the case?

3. How helpful is the interview with Cliff Bradley for Dalgliesh?

4. Describe the conversation between Inspector Blakelock and Adam Dalgliesh and what Dalgliesh seems to be quite concerned about during the questioning.

5. How is the staff at Hoggatt's Lab sorted for who needs to stay and who may go home?

6. What does Mrs. Bidwell show Dalgliesh?

7. Why does Blakelock go up to Dr. Lorrimer's lab and what does he tell Director Howarth when coming back downstairs?

8. How do Angela Foley and Stella Mawson come to be living together?

9. Why is Dr. Lorrimer's father calling and what does Brenda offer to do?

10. About what situation does Dalgliesh try to understand?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The murder of Stella Mawson comes late in the book. Discuss the following:

1. How does the murder of Stella Mawson contribute to the basic plot line or not?

2. How different would Death of an Expert Witness be if Mawson has not been murdered?

3. How did you as a reader react to Mawson's murder? Explain thoroughly.

4. Most readers have heard of the term "gratuitous violence" when referring to violence that seems to be a part of a story for no good reason. Is this true of Mawson's murder? Explain your thoughts with examples.

Essay Topic 2

For most people, murder is an unthinkable act, though many might say "I'm going to murder you if you don't" Discuss the following:

1. Analyze and discuss which of the characters seem to have a motive to murder Dr. Lorrimer. What is each character's motive? Do any of the motives seem strong enough to warrant murder?

2. Discuss and analyze the difference between the first murder of Dr. Lorrimer that Dr. Kerrison commits versus the second one of Stella Mawson. Consider the following questions. Which murder seems most justified? What is the motive for each murder? Each murder involves blackmail. Does this change your view of Dr. Kerrison as a murderer?

3. What are possible ways Dr. Kerrison could have handled the situations with the persons he murdered short of murder? Would taking alternate courses solve his problems?

Essay Topic 3

It seems that Dr. Kerrison should know a lot about crime and how a detective investigates a crime scene to be able to avoid some of the mistakes he makes that leads to his exposure as the murderer. Discuss the following:

1. Trace and analyze throughout the book all the mistakes Dr. Kerrison makes. Are they stupid mistakes or is Dalgliesh so good that Dalgliesh is able to pick up on very tiny clues?

2. Sometimes it almost seems that a criminal wants to get caught. Do you think this is partially why Dr. Kerrison makes the mistakes he does? Why or why not?

3. Dalgliesh states that Kerrison almost seems relieved when the detectives drive up to arrest him. Why do you think this is?

(see the answer keys)

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