View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where did Richard go to art school?

2. Which of the following characters does Richard shoot and kill?

3. While in the hospital, from what part of Bud's body does the doctor remove a bullet casing?

4. Where does Ruta keep a folder of old crime scene photos?

5. What color is Ruta Beth's hair?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Bud's son, Jeff, arrested?

2. What happens after Jeff's final baseball game with his team?

3. What happens to Richard at the end of the novel?

4. How does Lamar prepare to stalk Bud and his family?

5. How does it go when Bud and Holly go house hunting together?

6. What does Jeff admit to Bud while on the drive home from the DA's office?

7. Why is Lamar depressed after the Denny's robbery?

8. What does the art curator at the museum say the symbolism is of lions in art?

9. How does the public respond when Bud is once again put in the hospital after a shootout with Lamar and his gang?

10. Why does Bud end up knocking door-to-door in the neighborhood, searching for clues?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the novel, many of the main characters are in search of redemption for their past mistakes. Choose one character from the novel and explain his / her path to redemption. What past sins is this character hoping to absolve? What process does this character go through in his/her pursuit of redemption? In the end, is this character successfully redeemed for his/her sins? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

CD Henderson is an important figure in the Oklahoma police force. First, describe CD Henderson's police career and the way it has changed over the years. Then, explain what effects police work has had on CD Henderson's personal life. How does CD Henderson's police career directly affect the manhunt for Lamar and the rest of his gang?

Essay Topic 3

Much of the novel's plot surrounds Bud's changing relationship with his wife. First, describe the relationship Bud has with his wife at the opening of the novel and compare / contrast that to the relationship he has with his wife at the end of the novel. Then, give at least two examples of major events in the novel and describe how these events altered the way Bud felt about his relationship with his wife.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,015 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample