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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 happens to D'Agosta at the crime scene in Chapter 14 that has not happened to him in more than twenty years of police work?

2. What does Whittlesey see on the dead body on the trial before him that tells him it is human?

3. Where were the red-haired child and his older brother, Billy, supposed to meet their parents after visiting the Museum of Natural History?

4. What happened to the original Museum of Natural History in 1911?

5. Why will Ippolito not allow the law enforcement officers into the Secure Area of the museum in Chapter 14?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the Mbwun figure? What happened when it was added to the Superstition Exhibit?

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

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

4. In what year does Whittlesey's expedition take place? How long is this before the events depicted in the rest of the novel?

5. What leads Pendergast to suggest the killer of the security guard in Chapter 14 was intent on getting inside the secure area where extremely important and delicate objects are kept within the museum?

6. What do the scientists at the independent lab tell Pendergast and D'Agosta in Chapter 23 about the DNA sample taken from the claw found in the chest of one of the victims?

7. What is Margo Green working on at the Museum of Natural History? Who is her adviser?

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

9. What is odd about the DNA sample the lab tech examines in Chapter 17?

10. What does Smithback ask Kawakita to help him with in Chapter 25? Why does Kawakita refuse?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Smithback end up in the subbasement with D'Agosta and the mayor of New York? Why does Coffey attempt to remove D'Agosta from his role as leader of this rogue group? Why is he not successful? Where does D'Agosta intend to take his group? What keeps them from teaming up with Pendergast? What is following them? How do they know which way to go? What hampers their progress? For what reason? What room do they find themselves in after toward the end of their adventure? What is hanging in this room? What do they later learn is significant about this room? How are they rescued? What do they learn of that room after everything is over?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the Callisto Effect. What is the Callisto Effect? Who developed it? What evidence is there to support such a theory? Why do other scientists deny the existence of the Callisto Effect? What evidence is there against the theory? How does the creature who was killing people in the Museum of Natural History appear to prove the Callisto Effect? How does it disprove the theory?

Essay Topic 3

Who is William Smithback? What is his role in this novel? What does Smithback do for a living? Why is he at the Museum of Natural History? Why does Rickman edit his manuscript so heavily? Is this fair? Why does Smithback become involved in the murder investigation? Does the information Smithback finds help in the investigation? If so, how? Why does Margo dislike Smithback? Who else mistrusts Smithback? What does Smithback finally write in his manuscript? What does he do with the money from the book? What does this say about Smithback's overall character?

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