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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 does Stephanie insist Spiro do with the severed finger?

2. In Chapter Eleven, what does Spiro hope people will think about him and Stephanie?

3. Who cut off his own finger as a child?

4. What physical affliction bothers Stephanie in Chapter Twelve?

5. In Chapter Nine, what has happened to a large pile of caskets at the abandoned building?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the fact that Stephanie's mother tried to set Stephanie up with Spiro say about her mother's judgment?

2. When Stephanie agrees to guard Spiro, it seems she is simply accepting money to do something she finds distasteful. Is this the reason?

3. Why does Stephanie once again snap back to business with Morelli, in spite of the kiss they shared?

4. How does Grandma Mazur save both herself and Stephanie from Kenny?

5. Stephanie observes that the widow of the fingerless man has never experienced independence and will not know how to handle independence now that her husband has died. How is this different from Stephanie's lifestyle?

6. Why is it ironic that all of the women at the beauty parlor carry guns yet Stephanie does not?

7. How does Stephanie physically describe the women in her family and how does this match up with their character?

8. Stephanie does not call the police about the finger. Instead, she returns it to the body. What does this say about her character?

9. Describe the type of style the women in the 'Burg aspire to. Does caring about beauty and fashion make them seem oppressed?

10. Stephanie cannot catch Kenny because she is wearing a sexy pair of high heels. What does this symbolize?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose a character you liked. Using the topics below, analyze this character's appeal to you.

Part 1) Who was your favorite character and why?

Part 2) What do you have in common with this character? Do you see yourself in him/her?

Part 3) What did this character accomplish in the story? If you were in his/her shoes, do you feel you could have achieved the same accomplishment or would you have done something differently?

Part 4) What did you learn from the character that you will apply to your everyday life?

Essay Topic 2

The women of the 'Burg seem tougher than many women portrayed in novels, but what is it that makes them appear so? Is it their lifestyle? Their attitude? Their moral compass? Choose three characters and cite examples as to what makes them tougher than traditional women in literature.

Essay Topic 3

Although Stephanie's heart was broken by her ex-husband, the author puts Stephanie face to face with the woman who helped ruin her marriage instead of him. Consider why the author uses this approach. Does the scene create more sympathy for Stephanie? Does it offer any additional insight into why Stephanie is the way she is? How could the story have been different if Stephanie had bumped into her ex-husband instead?

(see the answer keys)

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