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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 confession the police show Marchica in Section 6 say the murderer didn't have?

2. Who helps the police retrieve Nicolosi's body in the book?

3. What does Bellodi not bother to do to the man he meets at a crime scene in Section 8?

4. Who do the police allow to sit in the captain's office during interrogation in Section 6?

5. How does the wife of the high-ranking minister shown at the beginning of Section 8 react when he answers the phone?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Pizzuco tell the police he didn't come to them with information regarding Salvatore's murder at the end of Section 7?

2. What is the nature of the confession the police show to Marchica in Section 6?

3. What is the nature of Dr. Baccarella's testimony in Section 10?

4. How does Pizzuco react when the police show him Marchica's confession?

5. How is the Grimoli Chiarchiaro first described in the book?

6. How does Don Arena react when the police show him Marchica's confession in Section 9?

7. How does Pizzuco claim Marchica fooled him into helping him get away with murder?

8. What is the nature of Marchica and Pizzuco's testimonies in Section 10?

9. What is the nature of the police's first interrogation of Pizzuco in Section 6 of the book?

10. How does the author say Marchica feels about going to prison in Section 7?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

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

The portrayal of corruption is an important theme found in the book that makes the reader question the similarities the police have with the mafia. Part 1.) How does the mafia use corruption as a means to an end in the book, namely in their business ventures? Part 2.) What is telling of the nature of the police based on their tendencies of corruption in the book? Part 3.) Is the corruption used by the police warranted given their desire to find justice or does this prove they are no more innocent than the mafia?

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