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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 will happen if Jeremy is left home alone again?

2. What issue does Joe not want to tell Carl about?

3. What movie is Jeremy obsessed with when he meets Lila for the first time?

4. How does Joe describe his looks?

5. Why is Virgil hostile toward Joe when they first meet?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Joe's mother say that she knows will cause Joe to feel guilty?

2. In Chapter 4, Joe finds a photograph of Carl Iverson being taken into custody. What does he see when he looks at Carl's face in the photo?

3. Why does Jeremy look to the corners of the room when Joe is talking to him?

4. What illness does Carl Iverson have? Is he recieveing treatment?

5. How does Joe try to get Lila Nash to notice him at the beginning of the book?

6. What does Carl require from Joe if he is going to allow him to know and write his life story?

7. Why is Carl's request for a speedy trial something that his defense considered unusual?

8. What does Mrs. Tate, the school counselor, tell Crystal on the day she is killed?

9. What do we learn about Joe's temperment when he confronts Larry and his mother?

10. Why does Crystal refer to Carl as "Creepy Carl" in her diary?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Carl's conviction for Crystal's murder marked him as a pedophile. Berthel Collins tells Joe that being labeled as a pedophile likely made Carl's prison term more difficult. Why does he think this? What does he tell Joe about prison culture in general and Stillwater Prison in particular?

Essay Topic 2

How did Virgil Gray lose his leg? How does Virgil feel about Carl? Do you think his loyalty is justified or is it naïve? Does this new information affect Joe? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Joe wants Carl to be exonerated before he dies. He sees that there was an injustice and he wants to fix it. However, Joe also views Carl's exoneration as a way of absolving himself of his guild over the death of his grandfather. How are these events connected? How can helping Carl also help Joe forgive himself? Why does Joe feel he needs forgiveness?

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