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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. Where does Tom ask Dickie if he wants to go in a coffin?

2. What kind of face does Tom think he has?

3. What is Frieda Hoehn's job?

4. What Henry James book does Tom ask for?

5. What king of lighter does Tom have?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Dickie react when Tom tells him his father sent him to bring Dickie home?

2. How does the morning Tom sets sail start off badly for him?

3. Why is Tom frightened of water?

4. What does Tom say to the Greenleafs in the postscript?

5. What has Tom been doing while alone in his hotel room?

6. What does Marge say in her letter to Dickie, dated January 4?

7. How does Dickie insult Tom in Chapter 12?

8. Why does Tom have a long conversation with a painter called Carlino?

9. What does Tom write in a letter from Dickie to Marge?

10. How does Dickie anger Tom in Chapter 10?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What are the differences between Tom and Dickie? How can Tom can impersonate Dickie so well despite these differences? Why does Tom want to be Dickie so much?

Essay Topic 2

Why does Highsmith set the novel in Europe? How different was Europe to America in the fifties? How does Highsmith express these differences in the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Identify the main themes of the story. Why do you think these themes are so important to the story? How does Highsmith use character and setting to express her themes?

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