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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 does Clarice do in Chapter 4 to gather more information for her research on one of Dr. Lecter's victims?

2. How long does the FBI have before the Baltimore police department begins to "strong-arm" Dr. Lecter for information on the victim's whereabouts?

3. What does the Senator offer to Jack Crawford to entice him into taking her daughter's case?

4. Dr. Chilton hints to Dr. Lecter that two people are having an affair. What are the names of those two people?

5. How did Lecter kill Benjamin Raspail?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is an imago, and how does this relate to Buffalo Bill?

2. How does Clarice tactfully clear the room of excess law enforcement at the funeral home where the latest victim's body is being kept?

3. What factors might have combined to make Catherine Martin vulnerable to attack?

4. Why is Clarice so eager to run headlong into uncertainty?

5. What benefits comprise the proposal package that Clarice puts together for Dr. Lecter in Senator Martin's name, and what is unique about the vacation spot?

6. Do you think Clarice sees Crawford as a father figure? Why or why not?

7. Though Dr. Lecter does not believe the senator's offer is genuine because Crawford would never allow Dr. Lecter to benefit, for what does Dr. Lecter agree to offer his cooperation in exchange for, and how does he begin collecting on the proposal immediately?

8. What did Dr. Lecter do for a living before he was imprisoned as a serial killer? What repercussions might be the result of his previous employment?

9. What does Crawford think about Dr. Lecter's eerily accurate prediction that the girl would be scalped? How does Crawford feel about Dr. Lecter's other, unsubstantiated prediction?

10. Where does the FBI go to try to find out Buffalo Bill's true identity, and what is the result?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Clarice's childhood is an important part of the story. What events occurred to lead her to a career with the FBI? Do you think if her father had not been in "law enforcement" and had still died at the hands of criminals that Clarice would have chosen the same career path? Why or why not? How do you think her time at the horse (glue) farm affected her future choices? Why? Do you think Clarice will be able to let go of her past and let the "lambs stop screaming"? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

Just about every serial killer has a "signature" that he leaves with his victim. Jame Gumb's signature as Buffalo Bill is the cocoon of the Black Witch Moth. What do you think is the significance of the cocoon in the victims' throat? Do you think the insect species is representative of anything to Jame Gumb? Why would he choose the throat as the location for his signature?

Essay Topic 3

One theme of this book is control and the loss or lack of it. Which characters seem to have control over their own situations, if any? Which characters are defined by their lack of control, and how do they work to gain control? Does control seem to be important to the FBI? The senator? Jame Gumb? Dr. Chilton? Clarice? Dr. Lecter? Jack Crawford? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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