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. Who does the police lieutenant who comes to see Marlowe say will want to talk to Marlowe before the inquest?

2. What color is the lobby of the building Phillip Marlowe goes to at the beginning of the first chapter?

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

4. When Marlowe returns to the lake with the police, what has Bill Chess done?

5. What does the guard at Puma Lake dam have Marlowe do before driving over?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Marlowe say that they'll have to do to get financial information about Kingsley's wife?

2. What does Marlowe say to do about the handkerchief.

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

4. What items of interest does Marlowe find in Lavery's closet?

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

6. What does Lavery look like?

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

8. What do Bill Chess's wife and Kingsley's wife have in common?

9. How does Mr. Kingsley feel about his secretary?

10. What does Marlowe discover when he examines the item he takes from the woman in Lavery's house?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Degarmo both brings Marlowe into the central mystery of the story and drives the ending of the novel. Discuss Degarmo's character.

1) Why does Degarmo try to protect his wife? Why does he ultimately kill her?

2) In what ways is Degarmo corrupt? What is the motivation behind his corruption?

3) How intelligent is Degarmo? What mistakes does he make? How does Marlowe see through him?

Essay Topic 2

Phillip Marlowe is the central character of the novel, and the whole plot is seen through his eyes. Discuss Marlowe's character.

1) How does Marlowe deal with his job, including managing clients, dealing with the police, and handling danger?

2) What is Marlowe's moral and ethical code? How does that code drive his actions?

3) What qualities does Marlowe have that make him a good detective? What does his job demand from him?

Essay Topic 3

Through Marlowe's association with crime, he naturally is associated with police and law enforcers. Discuss the police and law enforcers in the novel.

1) What different sides are there to police and law enforcement in the novel, both positive and negative?

2) How does Marlowe relate to the police in the novel? What is his relationship with law enforcement like?

3) Discuss specific officers of the law in the novel, including Patton, Degarmo, Webber, and uniformed police Marlowe deals with. How do they perceive their jobs? How do they deal with the multifaceted nature of law enforcement?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 797 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample