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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. When they could no longer work as partners, what did Theo suggest the heirs do?

2. What assignment did Theo give to Doug Hoo?

3. At the beginning of the last chapter, who is dying and what from?

4. Why did Theo think that he must be dreaming?

5. In Chapter 25, what did Dr. Deere accuse Turtle of doing?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why was there to be no liquor served at Crow and Otis Amber's wedding?

2. What happened that meant Mrs. Hoo no longer had to wear dresses with splits, or cook any longer?

3. Why did George Theodorakis falter while telling the story of Violet Westing?

4. Why did the bomb squad seem indifferent to the fact that Turtle had been blasted by the latest bomb?

5. Why did the Judge Ford warn Sandy that they needed to keep their wits about them in Chapter 24?

6. What realization did Judge Ford suddenly make that convinced her that Westing was still alive?

7. What clues indicate to the reader that the heirs were jittery and nervous after the repeated bombings?

8. Why did Sydelle dress for the meeting in red and white stripes and decorate her cane with stars on blue?

9. What help did Denton provide for Chris?

10. After reexamining their clues, who did Grace and Mr. Hoo think was involved in the mystery?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The pairings of the heirs is very unusual. In what ways are the pairings not what might be expected? How did they work out better than anticipated? Chris said that everyone had the perfect partner. Choose 3 partnerships and explain how they were perfect in an expository essay. If you don't think they were perfect, discuss the reasons for your opinion.

Essay Topic 2

Sam Westing is a very unusual character, both in his original identity and in his disguises. What are some of the unusual character traits of Sam and his disguises? What are some traits that the characters/disguises have in common? Why does he use disguises? Do any of his disguises strongly hint at what Westing is REALLY like? Support your ideas with examples from the book.

Essay Topic 3

Deductive reasoning is a technique for taking meaning from a work of literature. It involves logic: the conclusion drawn when fact one relates in a certain way to fact two. However, often an invalid logic statement results when fact one and fact two are not true. The conclusion is therefore not true, though the relationship between the first two facts is logical. Find an example of such a situation in the novel and discuss it fully.

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