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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 did Cole navigate when he was in the Army?

2. Who is following Cole in the car?

3. What was Karen doing when she met Joe Pike?

4. Who were the letters to Karen from?

5. Who follows Pike to the family day picnic?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Karen find out that Pike is in love with another woman?

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

3. Why does Joe Pike come to Cole's house in Chapter 1?

4. Why does Frank Garcia fire Pike and Cole?

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

6. What does Cole see on the television when he returns home from Karen's funeral?

7. Who is John Chen?

8. Why is Cole angry when he arrives at the coroner's office?

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

10. What happens to Edward Deege in Chapter 6?

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

A requiem is a "mass for the dead." Using this information and the story itself, explain the meaning of the book's title, L.A. Requiem. How is the book's title significant to the plot? What can the reader deduce about the book from the title?

Essay Topic 3

L.A. Requiem has several violent incidents against women--intentional and unintentional. Identify and explore these acts of violence against women. How are the events portrayed? What prompted the violence? How does each act further explain the plot and the characters involved? Use specific examples from the text in the response.

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This section contains 808 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample