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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. Who is going to have Greg Downing's baby?

2. How does Emily respond when Greg accuses her of planting the blood and the baseball bat at Greg's house?

3. In addition to Clip and Calvin, who else does Myron recall he has told about the blood in Greg Downing's basement?

4. Who does Myron think may have cleaned up the blood in Greg Downing's basement?

5. What kind of car does Myron drive?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Esperanza become concerned about Myron when she receives the list of people whose safe-deposit boxes were robbed in Tucson?

2. How does Cole Whiteman describe the murder that the Raven Brigade has been in hiding for since the Sixties?

3. What in Chapter Twenty Nine lets Myron know that Esperanza is trying to be nice to him after his bad game the previous day?

4. Why does Win go to Arizona at the end of the novel?

5. Explain how Esperanza handles Jason Blair's contract negotiations with the Red Sox and what her handling of the situation demonstrates about her character.

6. What does Esperanza think brought Carla/Sally to New York?

7. Explain how Win determines Clip Arnstein is lying about knowing Sally or Carla.

8. What shocking secret is revealed on the tape Cole Whiteman sends Myron?

9. What evidence seems to indicate Emily Downing as Carla's killer and how does Emily explain this evidence to Myron in Chapter Thirty One?

10. What happens when the B Man visits Myron at his office in Chapter Twenty-Three?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast the characters of Esperanza, Jessica, and Maggie from Fade Away. Cite at least three examples from the text to support your arguments.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the humor in Fade Away. What characters and other aspects of the novel contribute to the novel's humorous tone? In what ways do you think humor strengthens the plot or characterization in the novel? Is humor a typical or atypical component of a mystery novel? Cite examples from the text to support your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

In Fade Away, some of the ways the media is portrayed are through Audrey Wilson, who is a sports writer, and through the endorsement deal Greg Downing gets with Forte sneakers. Discuss the influence of the media in this novel. What do you think the author is trying to say about the role of the media in the world of professional sports? Cite at least three examples from the text to support your arguments.

(see the answer keys)

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