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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 the owner of the commune reveal about Betty Sue?

2. According to Professor Richter, what did Randall Jackson once do in San Francisco?

3. What does Saghrue reveal about Trahearne's mother?

4. How many years did it take Betty Sue to call Jimmy?

5. When Gleeson saw Betty Sue after her disappearance, what was different about her?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Sughrue's drastic actions with Jackson say about his involvement in the case?

2. What does Charles Gleeson's relationship with Betty Sue symbolize?

3. What is foreshadowed by Trahearne's eagerness to travel with Sughrue in the search for Betty Sue?

4. How does Trahearne's interpretation of Catherine align with what the audience knows about her?

5. What prompts Sughrue to say he will "rise and do what [he] knew he had to do, to what [he] owed the women"?

6. Sughrue and Rosie concoct a story for the police. How does this story indirectly characterize them?

7. How does Peggy Blain's explanation of Betty Sue contribute to the development of Betty Sue's allure?

8. What does Melinda's present life say about her now?

9. How does Sughrue's remark about his job and "the chase being over" indirectly characterize him?

10. Sughrue is uncomfortable about Catherine and Trahearne's mother living together. Why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Many characters manipulate themselves out of trouble with the police. Does this happen at certain points during the plot? How does the timing of this manipulation add to the plot?

Essay Topic 2

Often times, characters "fit" their names, such as "Betty Sue" sounds like a sweet girl that everyone likes. Analyze the characters' names. What do their names say about them?

Essay Topic 3

The plot structure of a novel can be interpreted different ways. Most controversial is the climax, or most exciting part of the novel. What is the climax of this novel?

(see the answer keys)

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