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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 is the importance of the green flash across the horizon at sunset?

2. Why is Blaze concerned about Ambrose changing their meet-up location?

3. What does the Black man hiding in the shadows outside Dawn’s apartment do after Letch leaves Dawn’s apartment?

4. What is the reason given by Simon for why it is difficult to enter the Kiwi compound?

5. In Chapter 3, what is Letch watching when Rita Mason enters?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Letch do to deal with his neighbor’s annoying dog?

2. How does Norman Boggs get the nickname Letch?

3. What are the two Cup races described at the beginning of Chapter 4?

4. Who is number 63?

5. How does the thought of losing the Cup feel to the Keeper of the Cup?

6. To what is the wrecking of the French yacht compared and why?

7. Why do the Harbor Unit cops not like lifeguards?

8. What does Blaze tell Simon she is doing, so that she can get him talking?

9. What are Dawn’s future plans?

10. What is the significance of Blaze’s name for herself?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How would you describe Wambaugh's use of language in Floaters? How does his style of writing and the way his characters speak affect the believability of the plot and characters? Do the characters seem authentic? Why or why not? How does Wambaugh's colorful language affect the reader? Why?

Essay Topic 2

Rita cannot wait until her time as a vice cop is over. Why does she hate this area of law enforcement? Why might Wambaugh have included this information? How do Rita's feelings regarding vice compare to those of Anne? Why might Wambaugh have included this information regarding female vice cops?

Essay Topic 3

Ambrose imagines his mother's face and words prior to killing Blaze. How does his mental instability and traumatic upbringing influence his thoughts, feelings, and choices throughout Floaters? Does any of this influence your feelings about him? Why or why not? Why might Wambaugh have included a character such as Ambrose?

(see the answer keys)

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