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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Bard wish he had done to Griffin?

2. What do the police find in the woods?

3. Who shows up at the door after Dan leaves?

4. Why do the criminals let Dan and Cindy go to work as usual?

5. How might the detectives find the grey getaway car?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Near the end of Act 2, Carson calls Bard with the news that Hank has been shot and killed trying to steal a car with a gun registered to Dan Hilliard.

1. Do you feel any sympathy for Hank's death? Why do you think he put himself in a position to be killed? Or did he?

2. Do you think the police did everything possible to capture rather than kill Hank (especially in light of what Bard says near the opening of the play that he wishes he had killed Hank's brother when Bard had the chance)? Explain your thoughts on the situation.

3. Do you think most police would prefer to capture a suspect rather than kill him/her? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

In Act 2, the setting jumps back and forth between the Hillards' home and the Sheriff's office. Tension seems to be mounting in both places. Answer the following questions in a well-developed essay using examples from the book as well as personal experience:

1. How does the jumping back and forth between the two settings contribute to the rising drama and suspense? Or does it? Is it an effective technique?

2. Discuss the different manifestations of the tension in each setting and how each person is responding to the tension.

3. How does Chuck's

Essay Topic 3

Back at the sheriff's department, Bard explains that Griffin shot a policeman and he exited his hideout with his hands up with an evil grin on his face, which made Bard hit the crook on the jaw. Carson reminds Bard that that was inappropriate behavior, and Bard just wishes he had killed Griffin when he had the chance.

1. Do you think Bard is justified in hitting Griffin? Would it have been better for Bard to have killed Griffin when he has the opportunity? We only hear Bard's side of Griffin's encounter with Bard but have no way of knowing what prompts Griffin to shoot a policeman. If the policeman had been beating Griffin in a life threatening way, would that have justified Griffin shooting the policeman to save his own life? The fact that Griffin leaves his hostages alive suggests that Griffin is not gratuitously violent. How does this figure in with what Bard reveals about Griffin?

2. How often do you think the police go beyond the bounds of subduing a suspect and into the area of police brutality? Research incidents of alleged police brutality and give specific examples. What do think should happen to police officers who brutalize a citizen?

3. Is there any other better system to maintain order that would work in the United States in lieu of a police force? Discuss possible alternatives to the police system.

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