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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 is Raymond Horgan?

2. What did Rusty and Carolyn do while waiting for the verdict in the McGaffen trial?

3. What did Carolyn tell Rusty when he could sense her lust for him while working late one night?

4. Wendell McGaffen had to go on the witness stand to counteract __________________ testimony against his mother.

5. What is found at the McGaffen house that confirms the doctor's suspicions of abuse on the child?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Sandy think about Nico Della Guardia's decision to not add a charge of obstruction of justice against Rusty?

2. How has the author's development of the characters up to this point affect the reader's perception as the murder trial begins?

3. How does Rusty's attraction to Carolyn influence his closing statement in the Wendell McGaffen case?

4. What is the nature of the phone calls to Rusty's home that are listed in Carolyn's phone records?

5. Why does Rusty tell Marty about his own father's neglect of him?

6. Explain Rusty's relationship with his boss, Raymond Horgan, especially as it relates to running for the District Attorney job.

7. How are the typical roles in a sexual relationship reversed with Rusty and Carolyn and what does that say about their personalities?

8. Who wins the District Attorney election and what does Horgan tell Rusty at his election day party?

9. What are the circumstances in which Tommy Molto accuses Rusty of killing Carolyn?

10. What is the premise of "Presumed Innocent"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Project into the future ten years and write a brief synopsis for the lives of Rusty, Barbara and Nat. Be sure to include emotional states as well as physical characteristics, geographic locations, work, hobbies, socialization, etc.

Essay Topic 2

Describe the overall setting for the novel. Why does Turow use the setting he does? What is the time period of the story? How important is the time period to the attitudes and issues of the characters?

Essay Topic 3

How does Turow use the literary technique of local color in PRESUMED INNOCENT? What elements comprise local color? Give some examples of the local color in Kindle County establishments, in the characters, and in the events.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,259 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample