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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 reason does Mrs. Kingsley give for going back to Lavery's after shooting him?

2. What does Marlowe hear as he sits in his jail cell?

3. What is Marlowe's cellmate doing?

4. In Captain Webber's office, where does Degarmo sit?

5. What does Mr. Grayson smoke while talking to Marlowe?

Short Essay Questions

1. After leaving the crime scene, what does Degarmo try to convince the other police officer?

2. According to Marlowe, why did Muriel Chess have an affair with Lavery?

3. How does Degarmo react when Marlowe tells him about Mrs. Fallbrook?

4. What does Dobbs say he's going to charge Marlowe with?

5. What reason does Marlowe give Mrs. Kingsley that she'll miss him?

6. What does Marlowe notice happening on the street as he tries to talk to Mrs. Talley?

7. What important information does Marlowe gain from Captain Webber?

8. What is the reaction of the younger policeman, Eddie, when he sees the gun on the table?

9. How does Grayson describe Mr. Talley?

10. Who does Marlowe call to verify where Kingsley has gone, once he guesses where it is?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The mystery in the novel is created through deception. Discuss deception in the novel.

1) How are appearances deceptive in the novel? How does Marlowe deal with and untangle deceptive appearances?

2) How do characters in the novel deceive each other? What are the motives for deceit?

3) In what ways is Marlowe deceptive? Why? Is deception merely an ethically neutral tool, or is it a bad thing?

Essay Topic 2

Marlowe's job puts him into dangerous situations. Discuss danger in the novel.

1) What causes danger in the novel? How is danger inherent in Marlowe's work?

2) How does Marlowe react to dangerous situations? What are his emotional responses? What are his intellectual responses, and what action does he take?

3) How do the antagonists in the novel react when they are in danger?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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