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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. As Stone and Penn rush from the house, Stone is shot. Where is Stone hit?

2. When Livy shows up at Penn's house, the two take a drive. Where do they go?

3. According to the fax Penn receives when he arrives back in Natchez after the trip to Colorado, when were the items in question stolen?

4. As Tom and Penn discuss the Payton murder, what do the two men agree is most important as the investigation progresses?

5. How much money is Penn going to bill Althea for investigating Payton's murder?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Penn respond when he hears the announcement from the person Penn sees getting off an airplane in Baton Rouge?

2. Why does Tom Cage at first not believe that Leo Marston would have been involved in Payton's murder?

3. How does the person who interrupts Penn at Biscuit and Blues learn that her birth certificate does not list a father's name?

4. As Penn peeks in the window of the Marston family home, what does Penn see Leo preparing to do?

5. According to Penn, why had Portman wanted Hanratty extradited to Los Angeles?

6. What advice does Penn's Colorado interviewee give to Penn regarding the Payton case?

7. Why does Caitlin change her mind about publishing Penn's accusations in her paper?

8. Why does Penn ask Caitlin to accompany him on his upcoming trip?

9. What discrepancy catches Penn's eye about the Fairlane that is sitting in Althea's garden?

10. Why did Caitlin originally not want to publish Penn's accusations about Marston in her paper?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the story, there are several attempts made on Penn Craig's life.

a. Identify three characters or groups who try to kill Penn. Describe the situation and how Penn escapes.

b. Compare and contrast the characters that try to kill Penn, as well as these characters' motivations.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast Dwight Stone and Penn Cage, the two men that find the truth regarding Del Payton's murder.

a. How are the two characters similar in terms of their professional lives? How are they different?

b. How are the two characters similar in their personality characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses? How are they different?

c. Each of these men has a daughter they want to protect, were the men similarly affected by this desire or not? Explain your answers and your reasoning.

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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