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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 region of the brain is missing from the security guard autopsied in Chapter 23?

2. What does Whittlesey notice about the local vegetation at the site of the hut where the Mbwun was found?

3. Who does Pendergast tell the independent lab to bill for further testing on the DNA from the claw in Chapter 23?

4. In Chapter 15, who claimed to have seen the museum creature one morning as it slunk around a corner in the basement?

5. In what way does Pendergast suggest Dr. Wright is obstructing the murder investigation?

Short Essay Questions

1. What began the rumor of the museum beast?

2. Why does Smithback suggest the search for a killer in the museum would be nearly impossible?

3. What are the three conditions Rickman gave to Smithback in the writing of his book in Chapter 13?

4. What is a ballistics analysis and why does Pendergast suggest one be done on the blood at the crime scene in Chapter 14?

5. What does the medical examiner tell D'Agosta about the missing part of the victim's brain and what it does inside the human body?

6. What is Dr. Whittlesey doing as the novel begins? Why is this important?

7. What is Dr. Frock's main complaint about Dr. Cuthbert's new exhibit at the Museum of Natural History?

8. What does Margo Green find when she reports for work on Monday morning in Chapter 3?

9. What does Pendergast show Dr. Frock in Chapter 18? What is Dr. Frock's reaction?

10. What happened to the rest of Whittlesey's team?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Who is Whittlesey? What expedition did he go on? To where? What was the purpose of the expedition? Did Whittlesey find what he was looking for? What happened to the scientists involved in the expedition? Was this related to the relics crated and sent back to the museum? If so, explain. What is assumed was Dr. Whittllesey's fate? What did his journal say about the expedition? Was this helpful tot he murder investigation? What letter did Margo find in the crates related to the expedition? Was this letter helpful in learning about the nature of the creature? What item of Whittlesey's was found in the creature's lair? What conclusion did investigators come to when seeing this item? Is this conclusion correct?

Essay Topic 2

What are the Kothaga people? How are they related to the Mbwun figurine? What is Mbwun? Relate and discuss the story of the Mbwun. Why is the woman in the Amazon afraid of the Mbwun? How does Margo make a connection between this woman and the packing materials? What are the packing materials? How did they get into the cargo? Why does Margo test the packing materials? What does she find in them? What is it about these materials that drew the creature to the Whittlesey crate for so long? What would have happened if the crate had not been placed in the secure area?

Essay Topic 3

What is Kawakita's computer program? What does it do? Why did Kawakita create the program? How does the program relate to his field of study? To his dissertation? What does Margo use the computer program to do? Does it help her with her dissertation? What else does she learn from the program? What does Dr. Frock run through the program? What does it tell them about the creature that is terrorizing the museum? Does this information help them to catch it? Later, what does Kawakita find in the computer program? What does he use this information to do? What possible impact will this action have on the people of New York?

(see the answer keys)

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