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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 the captain tell the dead man's brother the group possibly responsible for his brother's death are willing to do if they are not obeyed?

2. Why does the police informant on the mafia make up a story to tell to the captain in Section 2?

3. How is the mood of the individual shown at the beginning of Section 5 described?

4. Who does the man of honor shown at the beginning of Section 2 complain about an encounter with?

5. What is the name of Mrs. Nicolosi's lover?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do the passengers on the bus react after a man is shot at the beginning of the book?

2. What is the nature of the anonymous letters the police receive in Section 1?

3. How does an old man say a man becomes cuckolded in Section 4?

4. Why does the captain ask the men of the Santa Fara Co-op to write down their names and addresses at the end of Section 1?

5. Why does Little Priest feel guilty at the beginning of Section 5?

6. What does Mrs. Nicolosi tell police regarding her husband's actions on the day Salvatore was murdered?

7. How does an old man say one can avoid being cuckolded in Section 4?

8. How is the captain able to get reliable information from Little Priest in Section 2 despite knowing he was lying to him?

9. How does an old man describe Little Priest's work as a spy in Section 4?

10. What is the initial information the police find on Diego Marchica at the end of Section 3?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the nature of the police that is presented in the book. How might the police be considered as bad as the mafia given the way they conduct Salvatore's murder investigation and why is this significant in regards to better understanding human nature in the book?

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the author's use of both psychological themes alongside realistic observations. How does the author's mixing of these two methods add complexity to the story and what are you able to learn after being given these two observations?

Essay Topic 3

Examine the important role religion played in the lives of the mafia members in the book. Why do you think the mafia chose to stress such importance on religion given their violent and unethical actions in every aspect of their lives?

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This section contains 785 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample