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

2. When Penn visits Agent Stone again, what does Penn learn from the agent?

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

4. When Marston finally shows up at his office, who does Penn see with Marston?

5. After the accusations are published, Penn hires private bodyguards for his family. From where does he hire the bodyguards?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. After Johnson speaks at Ruby's funeral, Althea gets up to speak. What does Althea say?

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

5. What does Penn learn from the eyewitness that Penn tracks down upon his return to Natchez?

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

7. What announcement does the person Penn sees getting off an airplane in Baton Rouge make that shocks Penn?

8. When Penn arrives at his interview in Colorado, the interviewee does not want to talk. What changes the interviewee's mind?

9. What happened to the woman in the car when she revealed what she had seen the night of the Payton murder?

10. When Leo Marston arrives at the Marston family home and interrupts Penn and Olivia, what does Leo tell Penn?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why did the author choose "The Quiet Game" as the book's title? How does the title foreshadow the events that unfold in the story, the struggles of the main characters, and the violence portrayed in the story?

Essay Topic 2

Planning is an essential part of the story for several characters, as well as for the author to ensure that his plot moves forward. Identify instances in which Penn Cage and Leo Marston plan for their upcoming court fight. Identify instances in which each of these men fails to plan well. What is revealed about each of these characters through their ability ,or lack of ability, to plan? How is the strength of the author revealed in his ability to have his characters adequately plan? Be sure to support your reasoning.

Essay Topic 3

Several times in the story, Penn seeks out the help of other people in order to move forward in both his investigation into the Payton murder and in his personal life.

a. Identify at least three times in the story in which Penn reaches out for help.

b. Compare and contrast each of these events in terms of the situation Penn is trying to understand, the effect of his asking for help, and the situation that immediately follows this time.

c. How might Penn's actions have impacted the story's plot if he hadn't reached out for help from others?

(see the answer keys)

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