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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. Who took the pictures of the fire at Crystal's house before the fire department arrived?

2. What does Jeremy remind Lila about that helps her to break the code in Crystal's diary?

3. Who does Joe originally think DJ is?

4. What did Lila do in the year between high school and college?

5. What happens between Joe and Lila after she helps him clean his cuts?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is it so important that Crystal wore glasses?

2. Why does the author include a chapter about the play, "The Glass Menagerie"?

3. What is Lila's story?

4. What does Carl wish to see before he dies?

5. What does Carl say is the real reason he ended up saving Virgil that day in Vietnam?

6. How does Joe's honesty about his grandfather's death cause a shift in his relationship with Carl?

7. What new information does Andrew tell Joe and Lila about the night of September 21st?

8. What does Lila believe will be revealed in the coded parts of Crystal's diary?

9. How does Doug Lockwood incapacitate Joe?

10. Why does the local sheriff take Joe to jail instead of home?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Each time Joe is presented with a threatening male figure his first instinct is to use violence to express his anger, yet when he is confronted by both Doug and Danny he is unable to defend himself. Why might the author have written the character of Joe in this way? What does Joe's ability to fight say about him? In what circumstances does he usually resort to violence? Why is it that when it comes to defending himself, as opposed to someone else, he is not able to do it?

Essay Topic 2

Attending college is important to Joe Talbert. It will not only allow him to find a job, but it is also an accomplishment that will give him pride in himself. What kind of life did Joe have growing up? What does graduating from college represent to him? What is he willing to sacrifice to achieve his goal?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 945 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample