View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the name of Lowfield's new doctor?

2. Who does the body the Catherine discovers turn out to be?

3. What item from her father's office does Catherine tell the sheriff she did not sell to Jerry Selforth?

4. What was Catherine's nickname in college?

5. Who took Catherine's statement at the sheriff's office?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why doesn't Catherine stop at either of the two houses on the dirt road to ask for help?

3. Describe the change in Catherine's character in Chapter 11? Does her personality seem to change at all? Who notices?

4. Why do Randall and Tom both pay Catherine a visit at her house after she comes home from the sheriff's office on the day she finds the body?

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

6. What is the manner of Leona's death? Where does she die? Where does she ultimately end up and why does the sheriff think she was moved?

7. What does Catherine tell Randall that she wants for her parents? What does this say about her part in the novel?

8. Who does Catherine receive a call from while she is on her lunch break on Tuesday? What does this person accuse Catherine of and what is her response?

9. How is the relationship of Catherine and Randall advanced by the dramatic situation they find themselves in after Leona's and then Tom's death?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explore the character of Molly Perkins. There are several clues that suggest that Molly knew all along what her husband, Carl, was doing. What are they? Provide examples from the book. Why would Molly consent to this type of behavior from Carl? Was she just as concerned with public reputation or was she just being loyal to her husband? Do you think that Molly was under threat of death for her silence as everyone else?

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 setting of the novel, the small town of Lowfield, is in the southern state of Mississippi. What part do Southern values play in the novel? Can you find a part or parts in the novel where Catherine Linton talks about or gives specific references to things that occur in the South? How does the southern setting of the novel affect its plot, characters and character interactions? Give examples to support your answer.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,583 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample