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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 forces the junkie to talk about the watch and the wedding ring?

2. If Markowitz's possessions are being pawned off, what does it reveal about him?

3. Who consulted a medium about stocks before her/his death?

4. What detail about Samantha does Margot fail to know the answer to when questioned by attorneys?

5. When the dog hears his mistress's call, what does it do when it realizes that the woman is dying?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Sloop unable to tell the exact time of death of Markowitz?

2. Why does the pawnbroker call Mallory?

3. When Margot cannot get into her apartment, how does she reveal her desperation in her subsequent acts?

4. Why is Mallory disconcerted when she meets Edith?

5. How do Kaplan and Mallory interact at the crime scene?

6. How is Mallory described in the book?

7. What does one of Butler's tenants tell him about the building and other tenants?

8. How does Mallory gain access into the theater where Gaynor is?

9. How was Mallory adopted by the Markowitz family?

10. Why is Butler able to relate to Cathery?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Both Mallory and Butler are important characters.

Part 1) Compare Mallory to Butler. How are these two characters similar and how are they different?

Part 2) What psychological purpose or insight does Mallory offer? Elaborate on this.

Part 3) Mallory offers to examine the past of the murder suspects. What is implied in this decision and how does it reveal that the murder motive is connected to the past of the murderer and not the present circumstances alone?

Essay Topic 2

Appearances can be deceiving. Make a time line that shows the progression of your knowledge as a reader into the characters of the murder suspects. Which characters reveal the theme of appearances can be deceiving most?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the detecting techniques of the four sleuths of Mallory, Coffey, Riker, and Butler; cover how they each approach the murder and whether their intuitions were correct. Who actually solves the murders and how?

(see the answer keys)

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