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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 urinating against a wall in Manhattan that Mallory fails to notice?

2. What is Mallory allowed to keep even though she is on compassionate leave?

3. Who turns out to be very willing to discuss the murder cases with the cops surprisingly even though one of them will be the next target?

4. When the lights in the theater go out, who barks orders at everybody?

5. What does Kaplan do for a living?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. Why is Butler upset with Mallory in her new office in his building?

4. Why does Margot go to the bank?

5. What does Butler do at Markowitz' funeral that shocks everyone?

6. Why is Mallory disconcerted when she meets Edith?

7. Why is Butler's presence at poker important?

8. How is Siddon described in Chapter 4?

9. Why does the photographer think Siddon committed suicide?

10. How is Mallory described in the book?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the concept of loneliness as it exhibits in the story. Which of the characters are lonely? Are they all lonely in some way? Explain the loneliness and the methods and attempts to overcome it.

Essay Topic 2

Describe some of the settings for the book. What is the overall setting? Be sure to include geography, time period and any pertinent popular culture events. Why did O'Connell choose to use these places in the book?

Essay Topic 3

Describe Edith. What is her role in the book? What was the author trying to accomplish by creating Edith's character in the novel?

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