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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 does Miriam say she has already talked to?

2. What is the name of the woman Ritchie had in Southend?

3. What does Helen's hair feel like between Lynley's fingers?

4. What song does Chris sing in the kitchen as he prepares the food?

5. What does Olivia say her mother is protecting herself from?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Mrs. Whitelaw rekindle her relationship with Kenneth after the death of her her husband?

2. How does Olivia upset her parents when she runs into them on the street?

3. How do the girls at the cafe decide who fetches a repair man?

4. Why doesn't Jean like to hear people talking about her son?

5. What did Olivia soon discover about Richie after she went back with him?

6. What does Jean remember about the last time she spoke with Kenneth?

7. What do Jimmy and his sibling do at Island Gardens Station?

8. Why was Olivia angry with Chris the first time she went out with him on a rescue?

9. How did Olivia meet Richie?

10. Why is the case surrounding Kenneth Fleming so volatile?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What was Jean's relationship with Kenneth? Why did Kenneth find it so difficult to leave her? How would their relationship developed if he had lived?

Essay Topic 2

Why is Olivia's past so important to the story? In what way does it soften how the reader feels about the murderer?

Essay Topic 3

Examine Lynley's character across the whole series.

1. How does the author develop Lynley's character across the whole series?

2. What new elements does Playing for the Ashes add to Lynley's character?

(see the answer keys)

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