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. Where does Guy Some say he thinks Lula's stalker was deported back to in Part 4, Chapter 1?

2. What are the names of Guy Some's cats?

3. Where did Guy Some grow up?

4. How many floors above Fred Bestigui's flat is Lula's located?

5. From where is the surname derived that is Lula's computer password?

Short Essay Questions

1. How would you describe Robin's feelings about Strike as revealed in the narrative in Part 3, Chapter 10?

2. What is Evan Duffield's alibi for the night that Lula died?

3. What was Strike's relationship with his mother like? How did Strike's mother die?

4. What information does Strike learn from Lechinska in Part 4, Chapter 3?

5. What is said about the phone calls in the conversation between Strike and Tony Landry in Part 3, Chapter 6?

6. Who is Spanner and why does Strike meet with him in Part 3, Chapter 7?

7. What information does Spanner relate regarding Lula's laptop in Part 4, Chapter 2?

8. What information does Charlotte relate to Robin when she calls Strike's office in Part 4, Chapter 5? How does Robin respond to this information?

9. What prompted Lula's comment about her brother, according to Ciara in Part 4, Chapter 7?

10. What clues emerge from Strike's meeting with Rochelle in Part 3, Chapter 8?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Provide three examples of foreshadowing from The Cuckoo's Calling and analyze each. What does this clue foretell? What purpose does the foreshadowing serve? How does the author use foreshadowing and/or red herrings to create suspense?

Essay Topic 2

Who is the sole witness to Lula's fall? Why is this witness discredited by the police? What information does Strike learn from this character? What lies does he reveal she has given? Why did she lie?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the following elements of symbolism in the narrative: Robin's engagement ring, Strike's prosthetic leg, and Strike's sleeping cot. What does each of these items represent to the characters in the novel? What do they represent to the reader? How do they contribute to the novel's themes?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 770 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample