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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. When Bill arrives at Ed's house for dinner what state is he in?

2. Where does Diane live?

3. What time is it when Linda Carter appears outside of the County Courthouse?

4. From which county is the forensics team?

5. How many children total does Ronny Lawton's estranged wife have?

Short Essay Questions

1. List the reasons why Ronny Lawton does not want to lose what he has in life at this moment.

2. Who is Gretchen? Describe her.

3. List some of the animals Bill used to visit at the zoo as a child.

4. Describe the insane scene at Denny's with the teenagers and Ronny.

5. List some of the signs that give evidence to Ed and his illness.

6. What are some of the questions Ronny is asked during his lie detector test?

7. Who does Darlene consider to be her "children" since she has none of her own?

8. Why does Bill say that "the written word is dead?"

9. Why does Sam get angry at Bill over his Rocky commentary piece he presents him with?

10. How does Pete react when Bill presents him with the possible murder weapon? Why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Bill has difficult psychological challenges to endure, especially in connection with women.

Write an essay that explains which women he focuses on, how he interacts with them, what they want from him, and why. Will any of these relationships last? Why or why not? Be sure the explain whether unrequited love and obsession factor into Bill's personality and what that tells the reader about Bill's character. Provide examples from the novel to support your argument.

Essay Topic 2

Ronny Lawton's father's body is never found. Bill knows it exists somewhere, and he can't ignore that fact.

Write an essay exploring Bill's ideas of extinction and evolution in the context of the story. How does he view the conclusion to the Ronny Lawton case? What do his ideas of extinction and evolution have to do with it? How does he tie these ideas in to the closing of the factories? Reference the novel to support your points.

Essay Topic 3

Bill has very strong feelings about his family history. He does not hide any detail when he recalls the series of events that lead up to his father's death.

Judging by Bill's past psychiatric history, and that of his family, is it possible that he may come to an end similar to that of his father? Write an essay that explains the answer to this question and how it contributes to the novel. Does it contribute to the plot, character, foreshadowing, or something else? What evidence in the book is given to support or negate this assumption? Reference the novel to support your argument.

(see the answer keys)

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