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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 do the driver of the bus and conductor see?

2. What is Doyle doing in his car?

3. Where is Doyle parked the night of the murder of Lorrimer?

4. What do Pridmore and Howarth discuss?

5. To what does Director Howarth think back?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Bradley tell Dalgliesh when questioned about the vomit?

2. What do several witnesses on a bus tell the detectives?

3. What do Angela Foley and Stella Mawson talk about before Stella leaves the house?

4. What does Dalgliesh learn from Domenica about Dr. Lorrimer?

5. Describe the scene at the chapel when Dalgliesh and Massingham arrive and what do they do.

6. What does Dalgliesh ask Domenica and Howarth and what astounds the detectives with Domenica's reply?

7. Describe Domenica Schofield.

8. What does Dalgliesh think about concerning his interview with Dr. Kerrison?

9. What do the detectives from in a locked drawer in Dr. Lorrimer's room?

10. Who do Dalgliesh and Massingham meet upon arriving at the Lorrimer cottage and what do they learn from the person?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Inspector Adam Dalgliesh is in some ways a larger-than-life hero. Despite incredible odds, he almost always comes solves the crime in this book and in the others in the series. Discuss the following:

1. Does having a larger-than-life hero make that person less of a hero? In other words, is it more admirable to have a hero who ultimately always "lands on his feet," or one who strives against impossible odds and does not always succeed?

2. Does a character have to be successful in order to be a hero? Explain your answer.

3. Choose one other character besides Dalgliesh who you might call a hero/heroine in Death of an Expert Witness and explain why you choose that person.

4. Does every work of fiction have to have a hero? Explain your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss one of the following:

1. Compare and contrast Dr. Lorrimer with Dr. Kerrison. How are they similar and how are they different? Do you think Dr. Lorrimer's hatred of Dr. Kerrison had any basis in Dr. Lorrimer's own self image?

2. Compare and contrast Director Howarth with Domenica Schofield. How are they similar and how are they different? Can you tell where they have similar issues by being half siblings?

3. Compare and contrast Adam Dalgliesh with John Massingham.How are they similar and how are they different? How are their investigative styles alike or different? How do they interact with people differently?

Essay Topic 3

Probably one of the most important literary techniques in a detective novel is foreshadowing. However, much of the foreshadowing is only obvious by the end of the book. P.D. James gives plenty of clues as to the outcome of the main plot and so the reader should not be totally in the dark by the end of the book. Discuss the following:

1. Find ten instances of foreshadowing in earlier parts of the book and discuss how they are fulfilled later in the book.

2. Besides foreshadowing, many mysteries contain many devices sometimes called "red herrings." Define red herring and then discuss five examples of that in the book.

3. Why do you think foreshadowing is inherent in a murder mystery? What would be the effect on the story if there were no foreshadowing? What if there were no red herrings?

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