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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 does someone do to a necklace Sutton is wearing?

2. Where does Sutton Mercer live?

3. Who is Emma?

4. Who is not in the photograph that is taken of Sutton and her friends?

5. What does Sutton realize about herself?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Emma go to the park and who does she meet there who ends up playing tennis with Emma?

2. How does Emma end up at Sutton's house?

3. What happens at Sabino Canyon?

4. Why was Laurel angry with Sutton/Emma and how does Laurel indicate she's over the anger?

5. What does Emma realize when she is in Sutton's room and why does she feel guilty?

6. What does the note say that was left on the windshield of Sutton's car?

7. What happens when Mrs. Mercer wakes Emma the next morning?

8. How does Emma end up in foster care?

9. What has Sutton found and where does she find it?

10. What is happening to Sutton Mercer in the Prologue?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Emma holds to the hope that she and Sutton will have a wonderful reunion and that they'll become close. Emma has felt an emptiness because of the lack of personal long-term connections in her life. She has put a great deal of hope into the idea that Sutton will fill that gap.

1. Discuss Sutton and her habits and personality as to how you think a reunion between Sutton and Emma would be. Use examples from your own life and the book to support your answer.

2. Discuss what you know of Emma's life and why she might feel as she does in the above statement. Use examples from your own life and the book to support your answer.

3. From what is seen of Emma's life before she goes to Tucson discuss what some of the problems are with the foster care system and how you think being in foster care may have affected Emma. Use examples from your own life and the book to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Often, authors will write about "what they know," and sometimes knowing a little about the author makes the books more interesting. Discuss the following:

1. Research and give a brief biographical sketch of Sara Shepard.

2. What in Shepard's background may have helped him in writing The Lying Game? What may have influenced the way he depicts various characters and scenes?

3. Do you think there is always some of the author's own life in his/her novels? Why or why not? Give examples.

Essay Topic 3

The Lying Game belongs to the mystery/thriller genre. Discuss the following:

1. Define the literary term "genre" and give several examples of three other genres in addition to the mystery/thriller genre.

2. Discuss two reasons why it might be useful to label a text by genre and two reasons it might be disadvantageous to label a text by genre.

3. What do you think is the difference between a mystery/thriller and a historical novel?

(see the answer keys)

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