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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 Catherine first notice when she looks in the door of the tenant house?

2. Who did Leona leave all of her money and possessions to in her will?

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

4. What does the sheriff tell the dispatcher to call enough men for?

5. Who is Sally Boone?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What do we learn about Catherin Linton in the first chapter and what do these descriptions tell us about her character?

3. 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?

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. 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?

6. 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?

7. How does Randall explain his feelings to Catherine? What had he done to get her to notice him? How did he feel when she did not notice him?

8. Describe Molly Perkins' apparent emotional state when Catherine pays the Perkins a visit in Chapter 9. Why does Catherine believe she is acting the way she is? What does Carl tell Catherine is Molly's reason for acting strangely?

9. 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?

10. Who does Catherine see on the way to the farm the day she discovers the body? Where does she see this person? How does she feel about telling this to the sheriff?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explore the character of Carl Perkins. How does this character present himself in the novel? What clues can Catherine look back on concerning her interactions with Carl to determine that he is in fact the murderer? Discuss Carl Perkins' motives for committing the murders. Would you say that Carl is the typical culprit in a murder mystery?

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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