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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. For what purpose does Nathan give Frank and Jake money when he goes to talk to Ruth?

2. Which, if any, church service does Nathan insist on leading himself the Sunday following Ariel's death?

3. What is the spot of red that Frank observes in the river after Jake points it out?

4. Where does Nathan go after Ruth storms off in anger about what Nathan is reading?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

2. What elements of family life at the Drums' home drive Ruth to leave the family to stay elsewhere for a while?

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

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

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

6. What timeline does Karl present when he is questioned by the police?

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

8. 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?

9. 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?

10. What is the first action Frank takes when he gets home as a result of listening to Nathan's sermon?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

A message about prejudice, particularly that experienced by people of color in 1960s America, is expressed through certain characters and particular situations within the novel. Describe and analyze three of these instances and create a claim stating the author's message about prejudice.

Essay Topic 2

Choose one character from the novel. Discuss Krueger's use of the four characterization methods to depict this character: indirect description, direct description, revelation by self, and relation by others. How does Krueger use these methods to shape the reader's impression of the character?

Essay Topic 3

There are 24 instances of the word "true" within the novel. How does the motif of truth function within the novel and what is Krueger's message regarding truth, lies, and hypocrisy?

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