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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 Strike wear to meet with Guy Some in Part 4, Chapter 1?

2. On what street does Marlene Higson say Lula's father lived when she had an affair with him?

3. To whom does Charlotte call Strike's office to say she is engaged in Part 4, Chapter 5?

4. What is the name of the secretary that works for Guy Some in Part 4, Chapter 1?

5. At whose country-house did Lula and Fred Bestigui spend a weekend the week before she died?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who does Guy Some believe to be Lula's killer? Why?

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

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

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

5. What is noted about the body of the deceased in Lula's autopsy file?

6. Who has been sending Strike death threats? Why?

7. What information does Bryony relate to Strike in Part 4, Chapter 6?

8. What items had Guy Some sent to Kentigern Gardens on the day before Lula died?

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

10. Who is Marlene Higson, and how is she described when Strike meets her?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What role does Derrick Wilson play in the plot of The Cuckoo's Calling? Where does Derrick Wilson work? What is his job? What relationship did he have to Lula Landry? How does Wilson help Strike in his investigation?

Essay Topic 2

Outline and analyze the plot structure of The Cuckoo's Calling. Where does exposition transition into rising action? Where does the climax of the narrative occur? What tone and mood are evoked in the falling action and denouement of the novel?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss examples of irony in The Cuckoo's Calling. How does the author employ irony to develop tension in the narrative? What are examples of situational, verbal, and dramatic irony and what purpose does each example serve to the text?

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