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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. Harry calls his bosses from Mexicali. What does Chief Irving threaten Harry with if he does not return to L.A.?

2. What problem does Harry identify in Chapter 28 that every cop in California runs into?

3. How did Moore get Zorrillo's prints to plant at the crime scene?

4. Why do Harry and Aguila go to the airport in Chapter 28?

5. When Cal Moore and Harry finally meet face-to-face in Chapter 32, Moore is not surprised. Why?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Harry explain the fact that the suicide body had the same tattoo as Moore?

2. How does Harry recognize Corvo at the bar in Chapter 17?

3. What is Corvo's most notable facial feature?

4. What does Dance look like in the photograph Harry has brought with him to Mexico?

5. What was the terrible thing that Cecil did to Moore as a boy?

6. Why, when people are killed accidentally at EnviroBreed, does Harry suspect they are shipped across the border illegally?

7. How does Harry bypass the security in Cal Moore's building in Chapter 18?

8. What does the EnviroBreed building look like?

9. How was Mexicali founded?

10. What is CLET and what functions does it perform?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Narration and dialogue are the two ways Michael Connelly tells this story. Write and essay in which you:

1) Describe the narrative style of this book,

2) Describe Connolly's approach to dialogue, and

3) Pick whether you think more information in this book is conveyed to the reader in the narration or in the dialogue.

Note that there is no correct answer to 3: it is necessary to pick a side and offer persuasive textual argumentation.

Essay Topic 2

In both the characters of the BANG squad and in Moore/Zorrillo's relationship, Michael Connelly offers two visions of brotherhood and friendship. Describe each of these models of a masculine bond using specific textual evidence. Then, Compare and contrast them in terms of what the author is trying to communicate to the reader. What do you take away from each of these two models of fraternity?

Essay Topic 3

Define and describe the terms plot tension and conflict, and apply them to the story of this book. Your essay should do the following:

1) Describe, from a technical point of view, the conflict structure of this book,

2) Offer examples of key moments to illustrate and serve as examples of your description of Connelly's technique, and

3) Determine what the central conflict of this novel is and explain why.

(see the answer keys)

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