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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 Cam look at while he gives his testimony to the prosecutor?

2. How many murder cases has Cam been involved in as chief of police?

3. What kind of card does Cam get Allie for Valentine's Day?

4. What does Mia leave on her bed at the hotel for Cam to find?

5. What does Graham see Jamie do during the trial that the jury could look at unfavorably?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Jamie think he hasn't seen or felt Maggie since her death?

2. Why is Graham nervous after Jamie's trial date is set?

3. What does Graham warn Jamie about after the jury is selected?

4. What does Allie do after discovering Cam is having an affair with Mia?

5. What does Maggie's best friend say on the stand when the prosecutor asks her if she is angry with Jamie for killing Maggie?

6. What does Mia finally tell Cam after they go ice skating in New Hampshire?

7. What does Cam say and do while he is on the witness stand?

8. What defense does the psychiatrist suggest Graham use for Jamie's case?

9. How does the coroner almost ruin the prosecution's case against Jamie?

10. What does Ellen do to try to get Allie to forgive Cam?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why does Picoult begin the novel with these lines from a William Carlos Williams poem: "What power has love but forgiveness?/ In other words/ by its intervention/ what has been done/ can be undone./ What good is it otherwise?" What is the significance of these words to the plot and themes of Mercy? What is the difference between forgiveness and mercy?

Essay Topic 2

Compare the relationships of Cam and Allie and Jamie and Maggie. What did each relationship represent? How did they evolve throughout the novel? What did the individuals discover about themselves through the relationship?

Essay Topic 3

Dicuss the quote at the beginning of Part II in terms of who and what you think Picoult is referring to. Who was bold in their actions? Was mercy received and was it what the character(s) is expecting it to be?

"Nothing emboldens sin so much as mercy." -Shakespeare, Timmons of Athens

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This section contains 768 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample