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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 is NOT a descriptor Andy uses to describe Neal?

2. When Dan tells Andy that it does not matter what happens to him now that Ben is dead, what is NOT an example he provides?

3. Whom does Andy find in the upstairs bedroom of Ben's family's home when he goes to retrieve an object?

4. How does Jacob behave at the shiva held by Ben's family?

5. What is NOT an element Neal mentions when trying to get the judge to set a high bail amount for Jacob?

Short Essay Questions

1. In relation to Ben's murder, when does Andy testify in front of the grand jury?

2. Who is Neal Logiudice?

3. How does the author use Jacob's relationship with the telephone to indicate Jacob's lack of comfort with intimacy?

4. Discuss the ways in which Laurie changes as a result of Jacob's indictment.

5. What is posted on Facebook about a knife of Jacob's and by whom is it posted?

6. Explain the significance of the chapter title "Mindfuck" (34).

7. How is the motif of dreams and visions present within Chapter 3?

8. What is the symbolism of the look of distaste on Laurie's face when Andy takes her hand in the courthouse elevator?

9. How is the email address of the mysterious link-sender used to demonstrate the major theme within the text?

10. Discuss one coping mechanism Andy uses to get through Jacob's murder trial.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss how the themes of truth and lies are interwoven within the novel’s narrative.

Essay Topic 2

William Faulkner once famously claimed that the most important literature deals with the subject of the human heart in conflict with itself. Explain how the theme of Human versus Self is demonstrated within William Landay's novel Defending Jacob.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the shocking and unexpected ending of William Landay's novel Defending Jacob. What are the author's intentions for the ending's effects on the reader?

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