View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who comes to Cole's house unexpectedly?

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

3. Who were the letters to Karen from?

4. What does Lucy offer the visitor in Chapter 18?

5. What marks the place where Riley and Eugene reached the water?

Short Essay Questions

1. What information does Jerry Swetaggen give Cole?

2. Why does Lucy Chenier move to Los Angeles?

3. Describe the scene when PIke goes to see Eugene Dersh.

4. What strange thing does Cole discover about the criminalist's report?

5. Why do Cole and Pike drive to Lake Hollywood?

6. Why is Frank Garcia blaming the police for Karen's death?

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

8. How do Cole and Pike get access to Karen's crime scene?

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

10. What does Cole think is strange about Krantz when he visits Parker Center in Chapter 11?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Joe Pike and Elvis Cole are a somewhat unlikely pair of best friends. Compare and contrast Pike and Cole. How are they similar? How are they different? What about those similarities and differences enables them to not only be friends, but also to be co-workers? Use specific examples from the story in the response.

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 961 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample