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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. How much money does Penn offer to Ray Presley to buy Presley's gun?

2. What happened to Tom when he was the defendant in a malpractice suit years earlier?

3. According to the person who convinces Penn to meet with him by telling him that his family is in danger, what does this person consider Payton to be?

4. When Penn suggests to his father that they need to talk, where do the two men go?

5. What is the nickname of the person who follows Penn home from the fundraiser?

Short Essay Questions

1. When Penn first confronts his father about what's bothering his father, how does Tom react?

2. When Penn's mother confesses why she has been upset, why is Penn stunned by her news?

3. After hearing Presley's response about why Presley only returned one gun, not two, what does Tom believe?

4. When Penn first meets with the person he agrees to be interviewed by, why is Penn stunned?

5. When the two women leave Tom's house, what has Penn decided to do for them?

6. When Tom questioned Presley about why he only returned one gun, not two, what did Presley say?

7. According to the story Penn tells during his interview, why was Payton murdered?

8. How does Penn feel when he returns to his hometown to begin life anew?

9. When Penn first confronts his father about what's bothering his father, what does Penn think is going on?

10. When Penn and Tom discuss Tom's options regarding the blackmail, Penn suggests two options to his father. What are they?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One of the main themes is this novel is revenge.

a. Identify three characters that use revenge as their primary motivation. For each character, describe an instance in which the character acted out of a need for revenge.

b. Why do these characters seek revenge?

c. What is the outcome for these characters? Were they successful in their endeavors, or would they have been more successful if they had not gone after revenge? Explain your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the characteristics, roles, loyalties, and agendas of the following people in the story: Penn Cage, Leo Marston, Austin Mackey, John Portman, and Dwight Stone.

Essay Topic 3

In many ways, the novel is a series of contrasts designed to heighten the reader's awareness and draw the reader deeper into the story and the intricacies of each of the story's characters. Identify at least three contrasts that are used in the novel. Describe these contrasts and determine how they impact the story's plot, as well as the reader's emotional involvement in the characters' lives. If these identified contrasts were not included in the story, what impact would their absence have on the storyline, the characters' development, and the readers' involvement?

(see the answer keys)

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