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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 the author of "Sweet and Deadly?"

2. What job did Catherine ask Leona if she had applied for?

3. Where is the library located?

4. What does Molly Perkins bring to Catherine's house?

5. When a visitor rings the doorbell in Chapter 5, who does Catherine hope it is?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Catherine become suspicious of everyone in town in Chapter 10? What does this tell us about her at this point in the novel?

2. What is Catherine doing at the beginning of the novel?

3. What does Catherine find in the old, abandoned tenant house and what is her reaction?

4. Catherine receives a telephone call from Sally, Martin Barnes' daughter. She is calling to offer her condolences, but she also offers up some information about Martin. What is that information, and what does Catherine deduce as a result of the information?

5. What is the exchange between Percy Eakins and Catherine like at the sheriff's office as he takes her statement? Who does Percy turn out to be and how does this affect Catherine?

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

8. 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?

9. Why does Catherine decide to solve the crime by herself and not go to the police or Randall for help first?

10. From the descriptions in Chapter 1, describe where this novel is taking place.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explore the character of Leona Gaites. Why did it seem that people had such a low opinion of her? Was that opinion warranted? What do we find out about the character of Leona Gaites over the course of the novel? What lead to her death and what effect does her death have on the novel?

Essay Topic 2

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 3

In most novels, setting can play a big part in the development of the novel and the characters. Describe the town of Lowfield as the setting of the novel. How is the novel affected by the fact that it is set in a small town? Provide examples. Would the novel have played out differently if it had been set somewhere else? How?

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