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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 Vic make that he is proud of in the house in Part II?

2. Who is the leatherworker who does all the work on Vic's covers?

3. What does Melinda drink at the Fourth of July party?

4. What music does Vic like that his wife hates?

5. Who is one person who finds Vic's story about killing a man amusing?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Horace Meller tell Vic in Part II he is happy for Vic about?

2. What is Vic's reputation in Little Wesley?

3. What kind of employee is Stephen Hines?

4. Who does Vic dance with at the party in Part II, and why?

5. What is Horace Meller's attitude to the rumor Vic spread about himself?

6. What does Vic tell Mr. Nash in Part I that alarms Nash?

7. Who finds De Lisle's body and how does this person react?

8. Why does Vic want to toy with Mr. Nash in Part I?

9. What does Melinda ask De Lisle to help her learn?

10. What had Vic hoped might change with his spreading a bad rumor about himself?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why does Vic begin telling people he murdered McRae, and how does his decision to do so affect the course of the plot? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

Why is the disdain and arrogance Highsmith highlights in Vic's character so central to his actions, especially towards the book's conclusion? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

Why is Melinda so convinced that Vic really did kill De Lisle, but no one else in town thinks this is the case? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

(see the answer keys)

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