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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. Did anyone tell Muriel about the man who was possibly looking for her, according to Birdie?

2. What is Lavery's arm like when Marlowe pulls at it?

3. Degarmo asks Marlowe if someone hired him. Who?

4. How many cars is the garage at Almore's house built to hold?

5. Why does Marlowe decide that Almore must know Lavery?

Short Essay Questions

1. What reason does Sheriff Patton give why Bill might have stayed in town if he killed his wife?

2. Where is Lavery going, when he leaves the house?

3. How does Kingsley react to news of Muriel's death?

4. What reasons does Marlowe give that Lavery might be lying?

5. What encounter did Kingsley have, that made him worried about his wife?

6. How does Marlowe know the name of the person who lives across the street from Lavery?

7. At the end of chapter fourteen, what does Marlowe tell Kingsley is his next step?

8. How does Marlowe treat the bellhop captain?

9. What does Lavery look like?

10. What excuse does Bill Chess give for his erratic behavior?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the treatment of women and the idea of the femme fatale in the novel.

1) What are the women in the novel like? Are there positive and negative women characters, and what are their qualities? How do they compare to real women?

2) Who in the novel is a femme fatale? How is any femme fatale in the novel similar to and different from the archetype of the femme fatale?

3) How do women treat men in the novel? How do men treat women?

Essay Topic 2

The Lady in the Lake is set in the summer, in Southern California. Both the heat and the locale impact the novel. Discuss the novel's setting.

1) What places in Southern California does Marlowe visit? How are these locations characteristic of Southern California? What lifestyles do they evoke?

2) Why does the author choose the summer to set the story in? What do the references to the heat accomplish in the novel?

3) How do Marlowe's descriptions of specific locations, like Kingsley's office or Lavery's home, set the tone for the novel and give information to the reader?

Essay Topic 3

The Lady in the Lake involves characters changing and hiding their Identities. Discuss the concept of identity in the novel.

1) How is identity obscured in the novel? Who attempts to obscure their identity, and why?

2) How do the characters know others' identities? How do characters create their identities?

3) How does Marlowe formulate his own identity? How do others perceive him?

(see the answer keys)

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