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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 Dave do at the only laundry facility he believes may be Romero's cousin's place?

2. Who goes fishing with Dave?

3. Who arrives after Annie is killed?

4. What does Dave learn about Keats from Dautrieve?

5. Who is described as dim-witted?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Dautrieve warn Dave about and what is Dave's response?

2. What does Victor Romero attempt?

3. Describe the confrontation between Dave and Romero.

4. What does Dave ask Annie to do and how does she respond both to his request and her meeting Claudette?/

5. What happens that Dave is able to start his new job?

6. Describe the night of Annie's murder.

7. What happens with Dave's visit to Monroe?

8. What does Dave do with this new information he gains from Dautrieve about Keats?

9. Why is Robin waiting for Dave one evening and what happens?

10. Why does Claudette come to Dave's home and what does she do?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In Chapter 9, Dave continues his job but begins to drown in unwanted paperwork. He is good street cop but the administrative side of the job is definitely not his strong point. Discuss the following:

1. What does Dave have to do administratively that is so consuming and onerous for him? What aspects of his personality make this paperwork so difficult for him to deal with?

2. Do you think there should be some way for men and women who are really good beat cops but lousy on paperwork to have assistance with the paperwork aspect of the job? Why or why not?

3. What could be some advantages in filling out paperwork? Disadvantages?

4. Is there too much paperwork in general in the American culture? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Dave rescues a little girl from the submerged plane and after taking her to a hospital for a checkup where they say she is their daughter they take her home and decide to keep her. Discuss the following:

1. How likely is it that in the "real" world a couple could get away with taking home a "stray" child and just deciding to keep her?

2. Do you think Dave and Annie are doing the right thing in keeping the girl (who they name Alafair)? Why or why not?

3. Is it ethical to keep a child when she could have blood relatives who might be concerned about her and would want to keep her as part of the family?

4. How will Dave and Annie produce the necessary documentation for school attendance and other legalities? Do you think Dave will forge the necessary documents and how could Dave justify breaking the law given that he was a police officer and returns to police work during the course of the story?

Essay Topic 3

Dave's various flashbacks to Vietnam and life as a young man with his father provide interesting parallels to his current situation. He recalls events because they were morally equivalent to his current situation. Discuss one of the following:

1. Trace and analyze Dave's life as a young man with his father and how those memories are related to the plot of this story. What symbols/metaphors are common to both? What of Dave's feelings are common to both? Does Dave react differently as a grown man than when he was young? How? If not, would you say he has not learned from his life experiences?

2. Trace and analyze Dave's various flashbacks to Vietnam and how those memories are related to the plot of this story. Why symbols/metaphors are common to both? What of Dave's feelings are common to both? Does Dave react differently as an older man than when he was a young man? How? If not, would you say he has not learned from his life experiences?

3. Do you think Burke would have used as many flashbacks in this book had this book not been part of a series? How much do the flashbacks shown in this book affect the current storyline? Do readers need the information presented in the flashbacks to understand the storyline ongoing in the present? Would there be any other way to understand Dave's complex personality without flashbacks? Justify your answers with specific examples from the text.

(see the answer keys)

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