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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 does Walter do with the item kept in the file?

2. What business does Walter have as an offshoot of the insurance business?

3. Who does Walter want to be implicated in his plan?

4. Where does Phyllis call Walter from so they can talk privately?

5. What else are the investigators waiting on?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Lola's demeanor when she visits Walter at his office a week later.

2. What happens after Walter wakes up in the hospital?

3. How does Walter find out who Keyes thinks is Phyllis' accomplice?

4. What shock does Walter get on his second day at sea?

5. What are the details of Walter's plan to kill Phyllis?

6. What suspicious information does Lola give to Walter?

7. What happens on the night that Walter plans to kill Phyllis?

8. What is it that finally makes Walter admit to murdering Nirdlinger?

9. What surprising information does Walter get from reading the newspaper account of his accident?

10. What are the terms of the deal that Keyes presents to Walter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the meaning of the book's title. What is the literal meaning? What is the figurative meaning? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

The story is written in a style called noir fiction for which Cain is famous. Explain the concept of noir fiction and cite some examples to support your position.

Essay Topic 3

Keyes is obviously the voice of reason throughout the story. Does the author create him as a sympathetic character, or is he always an irritant to both the reader and the characters in the story? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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