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 desire has increased in Val's receptionist since she started working at the firm?

2. Which of the following characters is considered the town gossip?

3. What type of animal starts flopping on the beach when Catfish starts serenading Estelle?

4. Which of the following emotions can the sea monster smell?

5. What type of materials does Molly buy while at the hardware store?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Molly treated when she enters the hardware store to run a few errands?

2. Who are Marge and Katie?

3. What happens to the sea monster at the end of the novel?

4. How does the sea monster react to the explosion at the gas station?

5. What unusual sight does the Sheriff see while he is driving to the HP Cafe in search of Betsy?

6. How do Catfish and Smiley celebrate their massive catch after fishing?

7. What interesting discoveries does Gabe Fenton make about the rats near the beach?

8. What does Gabe think happened to Jim Beer's cows?

9. Where does Catfish take Estelle on their first date?

10. Why did Jim Beer agree to turn his ranch into a methamphetamine lab?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

At the opening of the novel, Val, the town psychiatrist, makes a tough moral decision in regards to her patients. What tough decision does Val make? What events prompted this moral decision? In the end, was the moral decision she made about her patients a good one? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

The Sheriff spends the majority of the novel trying to cover-up a major secret in his life. What secret was the Sheriff hiding from the rest of the world? Give at least two examples of characters the Sheriff manipulated in the hopes of keeping his secret buried. How did this cover-up conspiracy affect the town of Pine Cove as a whole? In the end, was the Sheriff successful in keeping his secret? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Val and Winston have a very unhealthy, illegal relationship in regards to patients and their prescriptions. First, explain how Val and Winston first came into partnership together. In what ways did Val blackmail Winston to get her way? In what ways did Winston blackmail Val to get his way? In the end, which of these two characters came out on top, benefiting most from this illegal relationship? How can you tell?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 942 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample