View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. When the sheriff calls Frank onto the porch and asks him a series of questions, about whom are the questions?

2. Where does Frank first spot Morris Engdahl on the grounds of the celebration?

3. What does Ruth do while Nathan is at the funeral home making the arrangements for Ariel's funeral service?

4. What job is Gus performing when Frank and Jake find him at the cemetery?

5. What does Ruth's father call Nathan after Nathan leaves to apologize to the O'Keefe family for the racist treatment they are receiving?

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

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

5. What happens to cause suspicion to fall on Warren Redstone in relation to Ariel's disappearance?

6. Why and how does Ruth lose the one person who has served as her comfort throughout the tragedy surrounding Ariel?

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

8. How does Nathan's sermon affect Frank?

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

10. Who acts as the go-between, bringing news back and forth between the police station and the Drum family and how does this role fit the character's relationship to the family?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Krueger chooses to leave some mysteries in the novel unsolved for the reader, including Karl Brandt's death and Bobby Cole's death. Analyze the ambiguities within these two incidents and use your analysis to state the author's purpose in leaving some of the novel's mysteries unsolved.

Essay Topic 2

Many of the characters within the novel carry around various secrets, unduly burdening them and thus, the people who love them. What is the author's message regarding secrecy, deception, and catharsis?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the author's use of red herrings within his mystery narrative. How are they used and what messages does the author send through their use?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,397 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample