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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 one request does Patrick ask of Maggie?

2. Where are Will and his brother sent?

3. What is waiting for Maggie and Jennie in the bungalow in Los Angeles?

4. What is her specialty?

5. Who is the hostess?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who does Maggie talk to as part of her upcoming murder trial and for what purpose?

2. How does Winnie Lawrence convince Will to play for the American team even though Will is convinced they don't have a chance?

3. Who records Maggie's song first and how does Maggie feel about it?

4. How do Patrick O'Malley and Maggie Bradford meet?

5. What prompts Patrick to name his world class hotel after a woman?

6. How does the press describe Will Shepherd?

7. What advice does Barbra give Maggie?

8. How does Will handle his first meeting with Maggie?

9. What does Vannie do that is inappropriate and fosters Will's sexual indifference to women?

10. What two things does Will claim are his salvation?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In this novel, Will exhibits an instinct for luring in women by telling them what they want or need to hear in order to get them into bed. How do instincts play a role in human beings where their survival is concerned? What instinctive quality do we all have that enables us to survive? What conditions might cause us to ignore this instinct? Under what conditions might you ignore a survival instinct?

Essay Topic 2

Rejection is difficult for many people to cope with, but it is particularly difficult for Will in this story. Why might he be more sensitive to the issue of rejection than someone else under similar circumstances? How far back can this problem be traced in Will's life? What is the root cause of his attitude towards rejection and who was directly responsible? Could this character flaw have been avoided even with his circumstances with both parents? If so, how, and if not, why not?

Essay Topic 3

Greed is powerful motivation for extreme behavior. Which characters exhibit greed in this novel and how? What are the circumstances that make greed an issue and what is at stake? How does this greed manifest itself? What kinds of parallels do we see every day in real life where greed is directly responsible for extreme behavior? Give some examples of greed in high powered positions in life.

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