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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. Who is waiting at Cole's house in Chapter 10?

2. What type of pet does Cole have?

3. Who visited Gene Dersh?

4. What does Lucy call Pike in Chapter 10?

5. Who follows Pike to the family day picnic?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Eugene Dersh and what is his role in the novel?

2. What are Cole and Pike looking for at Karen's apartment?

3. What does Cole discover in the letters in Karen's room?

4. Why does Pike come to Cole's house in Chapter 10, and how do they interact?

5. Why will the police at Parker Center not work with Joe?

6. What information does Jerry Swetaggen give Cole?

7. Why does Lucy Chenier move to Los Angeles?

8. Why does Cole go to see Eugene Dersh after the autopsy?

9. How does Pike know Frank Garcia?

10. How does Krantz react to Cole and Pike watching the investigation?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Elvis Cole has two important relationships in the story--one with his friend and partner Joe Pike and another with his girlfriend Lucy Chenier. At times, the reader feels that Pike and Chenier are fighting for Cole's attention. Compare and contrast Pike's and Chenier's relationships with Cole. How does Cole balance between the two people? Why does he choose one over the other? How does the character who is pushed aside react? What do Cole's actions and his relationships with these two characters say about his personality? Use specific examples from the text in the response.

Essay Topic 2

The theme of revenge plays an important role in the story. What characters are out for revenge and why? How does each character's notion of revenge differ? How does the character's desire for revenge shape that character's personality? How does revenge influence the plot? Use specific examples from the story in your response.

Essay Topic 3

Joe Pike works with two partners in the story. First, he works with the older cop, Abel Wozniak. Later, Pike teams up with Elvis Cole to create a private investigator agency. How are these two partnerships similar? How are they different? What does the reader learn about the characters through these partnerships? How does each partnership contribute to the plot's development? Use specific examples from the text in the response.

(see the answer keys)

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