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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 is at Joe's door when he and Lila are making breakfast together?

2. What happened to Lila in high school?

3. Where does Joe get new clothes to wear on his date with Lila?

4. What memory has been haunting Joe's sleep since Lila broke the code in the diary?

5. Why does Detective Rupert tell Joe to contact Boady Sanden?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Joe say his new goal is while talking to Max Rupert in Chapter 30?

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

3. What does Carl tell Joe about looking into Crystal's murder by himself?

4. What changes between Lila and Joe in Chapter 21?

5. How did Grandpa Bill die?

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

7. What does Carl see before he leaves the hut that haunts him?

8. How is Doug Lockwood's house symbolic of the man himself?

9. What do Joe and Lila see when they compare pictures of the fire?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Joe Talbert's autistic brother, Jeremy, is a big part of Joe's life and represents a core conflict for Joe's character. How does his autism affect Joe and their mother? Does Joe view his brother as a blessing, a burden, both, or neither? How do you know this?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

Carl makes one more confession in Chapter 31. What does he confess to Joe and how does Joe feel about the confession? In Chapter 6 Carl tells Joe that there is a difference between killing and murdering, then says, "I've done both. I've killed . . . and I've murdered" (44). Explain his comment in light of Carl's final confession.

(see the answer keys)

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