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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. At the beginning of Chapter 10, what are Lula and Connie fighting about?

2. What does Stephanie claim the other women in her family have that she does not?

3. In Chapter Eight, where does Stephanie store a certain, severed body part?

4. What is Stephanie waiting for while she snoops around the funeral home in Chapter Eight?

5. In Chapter Eleven, what do Stephanie and Morelli do together after her meeting with Spiro?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter Eleven, what action does Stephanie take that causes the religious structure of the 'Burg to be revealed?

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

3. What do Stephanie and Lula have in common?

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

5. Kenny's acts of violence start small and then progress into larger, more grotesque actions. Explain the escalation.

6. Why does Morelli's past with Stephanie suggest a greater opportunity for a future?

7. Mrs. Plum is suddenly on Stephanie's side and wants her to succeed at capturing Kenny. Why?

8. Why does it seem as though Joyce Barnhardt has had it out for Stephanie throughout their entire life?

9. When Stephanie stakes out Kenny at the motel, does she work alone or with back-up, and why?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the novel, guns made a significant appearance. Discuss whether guns were portrayed as good or evil, and in the end, what this might mean in terms of the author's philosophy on firearms.

Part 1) Cite and discuss where guns were portrayed positively in the story and why.

Part 2) Cite and discuss where guns were portrayed negatively in the story and why.

Part 3) Explain Stephanie's relationship to her gun. Why did she keep it in a jar? Why did she rely on her stun gun instead? Was it ironic that Stephanie used a stun gun to go save Grandma Mazur, but it was Grandma Mazur's real gun that saved the day?

Essay Topic 2

Stephanie is cautious with romantic encounters due to a past heartbreak, yet Morelli seems like a strong match for her. How did her attitude towards intimacy affect her relationship with Morelli?

Part 1) Explain the many ways Stephanie has found to distance herself from a romantic relationship with Morelli.

Part 2) Pick a side. Is Stephanie right to avoid a relationship with Morelli? What does he bring to the table for her romantically? How would she benefit from opening her heart?

Part 3) If Stephanie continues to remain single, what will she gain from this lifestyle? Is her life already satisfying? Or does she need something more and why?

Essay Topic 3

The 'Burg was practically a character in the novel itself. This community had a life of its own and beliefs of its own that shaped the characters and the outcome of the story.

Part 1) Describe the 'Burg. What were its unique qualities? How did its character affect the story?

Part 2) What is the significance of the 'Burg in this novel? Could the same story be as believable without the 'Burg as a location?

Part 3) If you were to offer up a different setting for the story, what would be a location option as strong as this one and why?

(see the answer keys)

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