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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. How old is Jennie when Phillip dies?

2. How does Barry describe Newburgh?

3. What did he teach at the West Point Academy?

4. What is the name of the song she wants to sing before she leaves?

5. Who does Will remind Maggie of?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the things that help Maggie to finally relax around Patrick?

2. What happens to Will's concentration in the final seconds of the World Cup game that causes them to lose it?

3. What were the last things that Patrick said to Maggie on the boat before he died?

4. What are the issues that bring Phillip to the edge of insanity and make him want to kill his family?

5. Why is Maggie writing all of this from a prison cell?

6. What is it about Victoria Lansdowne that contributes to the fact that Will rapes her?

7. What advice does Barbra give Maggie?

8. What is the largest explanation that Maggie has to clarify?

9. What happens when Will is six that changes him forever?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How can a child's development play a large role in the adult he/she becomes? In Will's case, childhood trauma goes largely unaddressed and leaves an angry and confused child to find ways to cope on his own. He does so with anger and abuse. How might this all have been avoided, if at all? What kinds of treatment should Will have received right from the start? How common do you believe untreated childhood trauma is? How likely is this to be the precursor for a life of crime or abuse? How many people dropped the ball in Will's life and in what way might they have helped him?

Essay Topic 2

Insanity is a plea often used in the court system. What qualifies as an insanity defense? Could Maggie have claimed temporary insanity as a defense in the killing of Patrick or Will? If so, why? How is the defense preferable for the person convicted? Compare a guilty verdict to a guilty verdict by reason of insanity? What are the similarities and what are the differences? How might Will have used this defense had he been required to for Palmer's murder or for the attempted murder of Maggie and her children?

Essay Topic 3

Palmer was in a position to intervene on his brother's behalf on more than one occasion. Why is it that he didn't, according to the novel? If he had, what changes would have occurred? Which lives would have been affected had Palmer chosen to turn Will in when he found him in the hotel in Rio, for example? How might this have impacted Will's life and Palmer as well?

(see the answer keys)

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