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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 object does the sheriff hope to find in Karl's possession if his search warrant is granted?
(a) A knife.
(b) A shovel.
(c) A gun.
(d) A tire iron.

2. Who gives Frank a ride home from the Brandt estate after telling him that the rich always get away with their crimes?
(a) Gus.
(b) Ruth.
(c) Mr. Halderson.
(d) Officer Doyle.

3. What kind of weekly appointment does Jake have in Mankato?
(a) A speech therapy appointment.
(b) A medical appointment.
(c) A psychiatry appointment.
(d) An orthodontist appointment.

4. Who brings Emil to the Drums' house to be with Ruth every time he comes?
(a) Karl.
(b) Gus.
(c) Lise.
(d) Julia.

5. What is Warren Redstone's explanation for his possession of Ariel's piece of jewelry?
(a) He says Ariel gave it to Danny.
(b) He says he found it upriver.
(c) He says he bought it from the pawnshop.
(d) He says he found it on the street outside the O'Keefes' house.

Short Answer Questions

1. What emotion does Gus tell Nathan that he feels toward the strength of Nathan's faith in God?

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

3. What is Frank's reply when Jake asks what they should do about the news they have received about jail?

4. When Frank returns home from his first church service after Ariel's death, what does he tell Jake?

5. What advice does Gus give to Frank and Jake when they ask for his help?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is it ironic that Ruth refuses to attend the New Bremen church service at which Nathan preaches right after Ariel's dead body is found?

2. How do the themes of racism and larger injustice surface in the aftermath of Ariel's disappearance?

3. What causes Ruth to get less and less hopeful about Ariel's safe return as phone calls continue to stream into their home?

4. What are the differences in how each member of the Drum family feels about Karl's new status as a murder suspect?

5. 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?

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

7. 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?

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

9. What, if any, clues do Karl, Frank, Jake, the sheriff, and Officer Doyle find when they get to Sibley Park, the site of the bonfire party?

10. Why is Frank initially not very worried about Ariel when she does not return home the night of the Fourth of July?

(see the answer keys)

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