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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. What country did Ken tell Miraim he was visiting with his son?

2. What does Jean need a repairman to repair?

3. What is the name of the dog with three legs?

4. What does Helen say she ate while out shopping?

5. What does Olivia say her mother labeled her in?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Flo say in her phone message to Havers?

2. How did Chris help to change Olivia's life?

3. What kind of relationship did Hugh have with his wife Gabriella?

4. Why did Olivia become a prostitute?

5. What does Olivia remember about her mother's relationship with Kenneth?

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

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

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

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

10. What details do the police have about Kenneth's private life?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

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

What does the novel suggest happens to people that are neglected by either friends or family? What are the difference between characters in the story who have been helped by others and characters in the story who have been neglected?

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