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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. Which of the following does NOT describe Randall Gerrard?

2. What is the name of the dispatcher at the sheriff's office?

3. Who is Sally Boone?

4. What was Catherine wearing when she learned about the death of her parents?

5. Who taught Catherine how to shoot?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who does the body that Catherine discovers turn out to be and why is the sheriff disturbed at the discovery?

2. What is the procedure at the crime scene as explained by Sheriff Galton?

3. When does Catherine figure out who the killer is? How?

4. What is the atmosphere at work like on Tuesday? When is the newspaper deadline and what mishaps occur to stress the workers of the paper?

5. What happens between Randall and Catherine at her house after she comes home from the sheriff's office on the day she finds the body?

6. How do the people of Lowfield react toward Catherine after she discovers Leona's body? What does Catherine compare it to?

7. What was Catherine and Randall's relationship like prior to the incident of Catherine discovering Leona Gaites' body? Why does the relationship head in a different directions afterward?

8. Why do people feel so comfortable confiding their secrets to Catherine? How does Catherine feel about the secrets of the town and being the one they are told to?

9. What do we learn about the death of Catherine's parents in Chapter 4? How does it connect with Leona Gaites?

10. What is the place or position of the Perkins family in Lowfield? Who are they as citizens of the town?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In the beginning of the novel, we meet a depressed and withdrawn Catherine Linton, and the tone of the novel also seems somber and full of imagery related to isolation. However, this mood seems to change as Catherine's character grows and develops through the novel. Can you identify a parallel between the Catherine's mood throughout the novel and the mood of the novel itself? Is this a writing technique of the author used on purpose? What effect does it have on the novel and on the development of the plot? Provide examples.

Essay Topic 2

Mystery novels can be used as tools for teachers to help their students learn important skills. A couple of those skills include deductive reasoning and critical thinking. Explain how a mystery novel teaches these skills using examples from the novel "Sweet and Deadly." What other skills can a student possibly learn through reading and analyzing a mystery novel? How do these skills help a student in other facets of their lives?

Essay Topic 3

The novel "Sweet and Deadly" is categorized in the mystery genre. Explain the key concepts in a murder mystery and point out if and where these concepts are present in the novel. How does this novel differ from a "traditional" murder mystery? What are the most important elements in the novel that make for a complete murder mystery?

(see the answer keys)

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