View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Terry say is the only thing he has left?

2. What is Spencer's job?

3. Where is Terry flying to?

4. Who does Marlowe meet for the first time at Verringer's property?

5. Who rings Marlowe's doorbell at 5 am?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Menendez know Terry?

2. What does Verringer tell Marlowe in this section?

3. Why does Eileen want to hire Marlowe?

4. What does Terry say in his letter to Marlowe?

5. How does Eileen respond to Marlowe kissing her?

6. What does Spencer hire Marlowe to do?

7. Why does Marlowe think that jail is not too bad?

8. Describe the confrontation between Marlowe and Menendez in the third section.

9. Why is Menendez angry at Terry?

10. What were Marlowe's initial impressions of Terry?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine Marlowe's friendship with Terry.

1) Why does Marlowe feel so close to Terry? Does Chandler develop their friendship enough for Marlowe's feeling to seem authentic?

2) In what does Marlowe's friendship with Terry show a different side to Marlowe?

Essay Topic 2

The women in Chandler's books are mostly negative characters who lack morals. Discuss the negative way that Chandler represents women. Was this negative representation common during this period? How does this representation affect his portrayal of the male characters? How would Chandler have to change his portrayal of women for the novel to be published today?

Essay Topic 3

Examine violence in the novel.

1) How do the characters in the novel view violence? Are there characters that would think twice before shooting or hitting someone?

2) Do the characters need to be violent to cope in the world that Chandler portrays?

3) How do the students think the public reacted to the novel's violence when it was first published? How would the public react to such a book today?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 828 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample