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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What plan does Frank have in order to find out what is happening between Nathan and Ruth when Nathan goes to fetch her from Emil's house?
(a) He plans to send Jake to Emil's house under the guise of helping Lise but actually to eavesdrop on their parents.
(b) He plans to linger at Emil's after their conversation and to ask Ruth point-blank what she and Nathan have discussed.
(c) He plans to plant a tape recorder in Emil's living room before Nathan arrives.
(d) He plans to hide underneath a nearby window so that he can overhear the conversation.

2. Which two members of the Drum family refuse to attend church on the Sunday following Ariel's death?
(a) Jake and Ruth.
(b) Frank and Jake.
(c) Nathan and Ruth.
(d) Nathan and Jake.

3. When Frank sees Officer Doyle at the drugstore, Officer Doyle tells Frank that Warren Redstone is still the number one suspect in Ariel's murder. Who does he say is the number two suspect?
(a) Emil.
(b) Karl.
(c) Morris Engdahl.
(d) Danny.

4. Before Frank goes back home, he hears a strange sound. What does he finally realize is the source of this sound?
(a) Branches scraping against the window.
(b) Ruth's singing.
(c) Gus' screaming.
(d) Nathan's sobbing.

5. After Ruth insults Julia and the Brandts leave, Nathan asks Ruth if there is any way he can help her get rid of her anger. What is her reply?
(a) She says that he can stop telling her that everything will be okay.
(b) She says that she thinks her anger will only increase with time no matter what he does.
(c) She says he can talk to his kids more often.
(d) She says he can pray for her since that is what he does best.

Short Answer Questions

1. How long does Emil's and Ruth's performance of Ariel's chorale composition last?

2. How does the whole town find out about Karl's secret he divulges to Nathan?

3. What does Morris Engdahl offer as the alibi proving his innocence concerning Ariel's disappearance?

4. Who brings Emil to the Drums' house to be with Ruth every time he comes?

5. When Warren Redstone asks Frank where his can of belongings is, what is Frank's reply?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what ways are the complicated nature of the grief cycle demonstrated to the reader through the experiences of Frank and Jake?

2. What news does Gus bring to Ruth while Nathan is at the funeral home making arrangements for Ariel's funeral?

3. What revelations does the sheriff communicate to Nathan when they meet in Nathan's office at the church and who becomes a suspect as a result of these revelations?

4. What secret does Karl finally reveal to Nathan that makes it fairly clear that he had no hand in Ariel's murder?

5. How does Nathan's sermon affect Frank?

6. How does Warren Redstone play a role in the altercation between Frank and Morris Engdahl?

7. Besides the sheriff's mention of Morris Engdahl, what happens to prompt Frank to tell the sheriff about Morris Engdahl's dislike of Ariel?

8. When Frank and Jake try to overhear yet another conversation at Emil's and Lise's house, their plan is thwarted. What is the cause of their plan failing?

9. Why is Frank so surprised to see Ruth and Gus sitting together at the kitchen table when he and the rest of the family return from Sibley Park?

10. What is the significance of how Frank spends the money he has been saving up from the yard work he does for his grandfather?

(see the answer keys)

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