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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What flies out of the mouth of the officer who is killed by Carl singing the culling song?
(a) His dentures
(b) A piece of gum
(c) The tip of his tongue
(d) Spit

2. What is the headline on the newspaper Nash hands Carl?
(a) Group looks for mystery book
(b) Seven dead in mystery plague
(c) Culling song revealed
(d) Newspaper reporter sought in deaths

3. What is on the table in Helen's real estate office?
(a) High-end magazines
(b) Miniature houses
(c) Photos of houses for sale
(d) A flower arrangement

4. What are the details Carl recites from the calendar he saw on the wall of the apartment of his second crib death story?
(a) The date of a doctor appointment and a dentist appointment
(b) The baby's birthday and the date of a GED test
(c) The date of a dentist appointment and a birthday
(d) The date of a doctor appointment and a GED test

5. What does Carl say will be used for art with the story he's writing about sudden infant death syndrome?
(a) Photos of empty cribs
(b) Photos of funerals
(c) Photos of babies who were happy but now are dead
(d) Charts outlining the mortality rate and potential causes

6. What does the guy with sideburns say to the person on the cell phone?
(a) That he's at the bar
(b) That he's on a job site
(c) That he's at the doctor's office
(d) That he's at work

7. What color is Helen's purse?
(a) White
(b) Green and white
(c) Pink and gold
(d) Brown and blue

8. What is it that's hanging around Oyster's neck?
(a) A Hopi medicine bag
(b) A magical amulet to deflect the culling song
(c) A locket
(d) A dreamcatcher

9. Who is Helen talking to when she meets Carl Streator for the first time?
(a) Her mother
(b) Mona
(c) The previous owners of the house
(d) Oyster

10. Where is the baby sitter when Carl goes to cover his second crib death story?
(a) In the ambulance
(b) In the bedroom
(c) At the hospital
(d) Outside

11. Which of the following is among the details Carl gives about the cab?
(a) That the driver is foreign
(b) That the seat has been slit
(c) That it stinks
(d) That it's grey inside

12. How does Carl keep his mind occupied after leaving the office?
(a) He sings the culling song
(b) He plans his next story
(c) He counts his steps
(d) He imagines what his comments for Duncan's feature story

13. What is the setting for the story Carl reads about the 1983 case in which the nurse's aide kills a patient?
(a) New York, New York
(b) Florence, Italy
(c) Lincoln, Nebraska
(d) Vienna, Austria

14. What is the topic of the song that Carl reads to Duncan?
(a) Children going to sleep
(b) Animals going to sleep
(c) Flowers blooming on a creek bank
(d) The stars coming out at night

15. How old was Patrick when he died?
(a) Six weeks
(b) Three months
(c) Eight days
(d) Six months

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the source of the light on the table in the bar when Carl meets Nash?

2. Why does Carl say he's asking about the deaths in his building?

3. What is the name of Helen Boyle's secretary?

4. What is the newscast that Helen hears that she encourages the others to listen to?

5. Where does Helen say Patrick is now?

(see the answer keys)

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