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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. How long does the case of the McRae murder go unsolved?

2. What does Melinda suffer from at the Cowans' party?

3. What does Vic tell Melinda he would like to see her choose in a partner?

4. Who is the first person Vic tells he killed someone?

5. What does Ralph ask for for breakfast after drinking too much?

Short Essay Questions

1. What kind of employee is Stephen Hines?

2. How does Vic try to stop Melinda's affair with De Lisle?

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

4. How does Melinda flaunt her affairs?

5. In Part II, what shatters the rumor Vic told about himself?

6. What does Vic do for a living?

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How would you describe Highsmith's tone and language throughout this novel? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 2

When does Vic decide to kill Cameron, and how does he plan to get away with murder again? Write an essay explaining your answers, citing specific references to the text to help support your conclusions.

Essay Topic 3

How does Vic handle the fact that Melinda hires a private investigator to try to prove he did kill De Lisle and what does this behavior reveal about his character? Write an essay explaining your answers.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 500 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample