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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. Who watched the autopsy of Jaroslawicz?

2. What caused Belushi's brain to swell?

3. What was the cause of death for Robert, the Sutton Place Banker found tied to a bed?

4. What is Baden's criticism against the doctors who saw Tinning's nine dead children?

5. What did the funeral director miss when preparing the body for funeral?

Short Essay Questions

1. Explain what actually happened to Daphne Mellon.

2. Describe how Barry Schwartz and Kenneth Hess were killed by the other inmates.

3. Explain the circumstances surrounding the finding of Daphne Mellon's vehicle, personal items, and body, and why those findings led to questions.

4. Why did Kuklinski use cyanide, and how did Baden discover it on his victims?

5. Describe the potassium eye fluid test.

6. Explain how and why Jascalevich killed the patients of other doctors.

7. What are possible motives given for Joseph Christopher's killing spree?

8. Explain why, from the beginning, Baden believed the police had the wrong time of death for Gail Morris.

9. Describe how the development of maggots helped determine time of death in the case of Gail Morris.

10. Describe why a body in the desert mummifies, and why a body in the Arctic stays bacteria free.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Baden points out several times in the novel that the role of the ME is one of politics, science, and power. Do you agree that the ME has power? Why or why not? Do you think the ME can directly affect the outcome of a criminal trial? Why or why not? Does this mean the ME has to show a large level of credibility? What should happen if that credibility is questioned? Do you think the ME should issue death certificates that necessarily help the DA? Why or why not? Be sure to analyze these issues using examples and details from the novel.

Essay Topic 2

Explain the forensics used in the case of the prison riot at Attica to prove the guards accidentally shot the hostages. What techniques did Baden use to look at the bodies? What did he find? Why did people dislike his findings? How could he prove the findings? What mistakes did others, such as the funeral director, make that hindered the investigation? Did this serve to increase the tension? Why? Do you think the end result at Attica was beneficial? Why? What group did the riots help create? What does that group do? How did that help the prisoners in the long run?

Essay Topic 3

Baden often questions the morality of others involved in the governmental process. He questions the DAs, the mayors, hospital coroners, military personnel, rescue workers, and still others throughout the novel on a variety of different levels. Why do you think Baden suspects nearly all departments of corruption? Do you think this comes from his own experiences as an ME? Why or why not? Do you think Baden is biased as a result of his experiences? Does this discredit his opinions about such issues as misidentifying remains, improper ME techniques, or looting of victims? Why or why not? What does this say about the credibility of his entire book?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 986 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample