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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 much money does Mrs. Bruner want to give Wolfe for a retainer at first?

2. What color are the drapes that cover the windows in the apartment where Althaus lived?

3. What time does Goodwin go down to have breakfast on Wednesday morning?

4. Where is Mrs. Bruner to go if she gets a message by phone or some other means from Goodwin or Wolfe?

5. Where does David Althaus work?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did David Althaus do for a living?

2. Why does Wolfe decide that they will no longer try to evade any listening devices the FBI may have placed in the house?

3. Why does Goodwin walk after the meeting with Cramer at the hotel?

4. Is Mrs. Althaus surprised to learn that it may have been the FBI who murdered her son?

5. What does Wolfe decide they have to do after he hears about the meeting with Cramer?

6. How does Goodwin describe Cohen?

7. What do Wolfe, Cohen, and Goodwin talk about over dinner in Chapter 2?

8. What does Goodwin see when he escorts Mrs. Bruner to her car?

9. What does Fritz want Goodwin to tell him at breakfast on Wednesday morning?

10. What do Goodwin and Dr. Vollmer agree that Dr. Vollmer should use as an excuse for why he stopped by on Thursday morning?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss Goodwin's relationships with women in the novel. Do these relationships help or hinder his investigation? Use examples from the book.

Essay Topic 2

Using either Wolfe's or Goodwin's arguments, argue whether to accept or not accept Mrs. Bruner's job.

Essay Topic 3

Argue whether the meal at Rusterman's should or should not be listed on Mrs. Bruner's bill. Use arguments from the book that Wolfe or Goodwin used.

(see the answer keys)

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