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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. Whose house does Spade recommend Brigid stays at?

2. What color does Spade say Brigid's eyes are in this chapter?

3. What is the name of the man Miss Wonderly sister left New York with?

4. Who announces the arrival of Miss Wonderly?

5. Who yells from the living room?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does SPade calm Brigid down in the tenth chapter?

2. What do the police see when they enter Spade's apartment in the eighth chapter?

3. What does Sid Wise reveal about Iva in the twelfth chapter?

4. What does Gutman's treatment of Rhea say about his character?

5. In what way does Spade choose loyalty over Brigid in the final chapter?

6. What is Spade's relationship with the three women he has met so far in the novel?

7. Describe the story Spade tells Brigid at the beginning of the seventh chapter?

8. Why is the fifth chapter call ed the Levantine?

9. In what way does Cairo turn the tables on Spade in the fifth chapter?

10. In what way is Spade shown to be a lady killer in the ninth chapter?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the novel's chronological setting.

1) What were the main concerns during the 1920s. How does Hammett express these concerns?

2) In what ways do you think the novels meaning would change if it was set in today's society?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss whether you think this statement is true or false: The Maltese Falcon depicts women in a negative light. Use two examples from the novel to support your argument.

Essay Topic 3

The Maltese is a famous book which has greatly influenced popular culture. Choose a film or book written after The Maltese Falcon that you think was influenced by the novel and discuss there similarities in terms of:

a) Plot

b) Character

c) Themes

(see the answer keys)

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