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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 happens to Little Priest after he mails a letter to the police?

2. Who is the man the sergeant major brings in (who loves gambling) believed to have ties to?

3. What profession does the man have in the story the old man tells at the beginning of Section 4?

4. What item does a man sell near the shooting that the police look for in Section 1?

5. What does the captain suggest all of the building contractors in their area had done that the man who died had not?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do the employees of a sulphur mine react after not being paid for three months?

2. How is the "Mother Church" first described in the book?

3. What is the nature of the conversation between two Sicilian men at the beginning of Section 2?

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

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

6. What is the nature of the letter Little Priest sends to police in Section 5?

7. 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?

8. What information do the police first find out regarding Salvatore after his identity is discovered?

9. What is the nature of the speech a man gives to the police regarding Don Arena in Section 5?

10. What information is the captain able to discover regarding Nicolosi in Section 3?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the concept of loyalty that is presented in the characters involved with the mafia in the book. How does the mafia use loyalty to secure their safety and how to they make this an effective method in their members?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the nature of the author's choice for the book's layout, namely having the climax comes in the opening scene. How does this make you view the plot differently than you normally would, especially given the fact that there will be no conflict needed to build a climax?

Essay Topic 3

The author makes a great effort to showcase the true nature of the interrogation throughout the book. Part 1.) What can we learn about the nature of the police based on the way they interrogate witnesses and suspects in the book? Part 2.) What can we learn about the nature of members of the mafia based on their reactions to being interrogated by police in the book? Part 3.) How does the author present a moral dilemma in the book's characters through the portrayal of interrogation?

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