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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 does Cairo point his gun at?

2. What did Spade earlier take from Cairo's pocket?

3. Who announces the arrival of Miss Wonderly?

4. Who does Spade spot in the hotel?

5. Whose apartment does Spade go to in this chapter?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Gutman want to keep Spade on his good side in the seventeenth chapter?

2. Describe Joel Cairo and what he wants.

3. Why does Spade usher Iva out of his office?

4. How does SPade react to hearing his partners death in the second chapter?

5. Why is Brigid so distressed in the fourth chapter?

6. What does Brigid tell Spade about her part in the falcon in the ninth chapter?

7. How does Spade change Cairo's mind about not going along with his plan?

8. Describe Cairo's appearance in the hotel lobby in the tenth chapter.

9. What is Spade's ulterior motive in helping out Brigid?

10. How has Spade approached the case so far?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine Hammett's writing style. How would you describe Hammett's prose style? What kind of vocabulary does he use? Does he use any specific writing techniques? What meaning does Hammett's style give to the story?

Essay Topic 2

Examine the novel's dialogue. How does Hammett's dialogue contribute to the following areas:

1) Character

2) Setting

3) Plot

Essay Topic 3

The women in the book are often depicted negatively. Discuss the negative way that Hammett represents women. Was this negative representation common during this period? How does this negative representation affect his portrayal of the male characters? In what ways would Hammett have to change the negative portrayal of women to be published today?

(see the answer keys)

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