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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 comforting whom at the end of the scene between Steve and his father?

2. Why does Acie say he stole the money?

3. According to Osvaldo's testimony, why did he participate in the robbery?

4. What color suit is Steve wearing when Osvaldo identifies him in court?

5. In the notes Steve writes just after his father leaves, what does he say he did at the drugstore?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does the first shot of the movie (Monday, July 6) feature Steve lying with the blanket over his head?

2. Why does O'Brien say things are looking bad for Steve's case after Osvaldo's testimony?

3. Why do the charges against Wendell Bolden get dropped?

4. Why does Johnny, the ringleader of the eventual crime, want to rob a pharmacy instead of a bank?

5. Describe the kind of movie Steve says it feels as if he has stepped into?

6. What happens when a preacher comes to visit the prisoners?

7. What does Mr. Nesbitt look like in the pictures the prosecution passes around to the jury?

8. When does Steve say he feels most involved with his case?

9. Why is one of the other prisoners, Acie, not worried about his impending verdict?

10. What are the reasons, according to O'Brien, that Steve should take this trial "very, very seriously"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Much of the complexity of this novel rests on the difference between moral innocence and legal innocence. In an analytical essay, define each of these terms and describe the difference between them. Be sure to consider whether or not Steve is morally innocent of his crimes, despite the fact that his legal innocence was established.

Essay Topic 2

While novels are written media, screenplays are the written version of a visual media, film. This book also contains several typographical elements as well as photographs and drawings to communicate visual information. Taking into account all of these formats, describe the fictional strategies Myers has employed to construct imagery and images in this book. How does he blend visual media with written media effectively?

Essay Topic 3

In a persuasive and analytical essay, describe the format of this novel. First, describe the various format(s) Myers uses in this novel. Second, decide whether or not you think one kind of format used in this novel is more effective than the other in communicating the major fictional elements: setting, characterization, imagery, symbolism, plot, action, etc. Be sure to write an essay with a strong argument about the effectiveness of the various format(s) you have described in the first part of the question.

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