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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. How does Sullivan treat the police when he calls them?

2. Who does Scarpetta recognize Sullivan to be?

3. Where is Benton vacationing over the holidays?

4. What is Grueman's demeanor during his meeting with Scarpetta after she met with the bird expert?

5. What do the newspapers suggest about Scarpetta and Susan in the days after Susan's death?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Scarpetta head to Robyn's old house to get fingerprints?

2. Why does Scarpetta find the request to see her guns ridiculous?

3. Why does Jennifer's ex-husband like Scarpetta so much?

4. What does Scarpetta accuse Ben of during the confrontation in Ben's office?

5. How does Scarpetta know that the killer only had access to crime scene pictures, not the crime scene itself, of Robyn's murder?

6. What does Scarpetta learn about the bullets used in both Eddie Heath's and Susan's cases?

7. What does Susan's husband tell the newspapers about Scarpetta?

8. Why do Benton and Scarpetta rearrange the furniture in Robyn's old house?

9. What does Grueman confess about why he was so hard on Scarpetta in law school?

10. What causes Benton and Scarpetta to wonder if Eddie Heath's and Robyn's murders are related?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Some fans of the Scarpetta series have been disappointed in later books in the series. They believe that Cornwell has drifted away from what makes Scarpetta so appealing in the first place. Discuss the 3 most appealing aspects of Scarpetta's character. How does Cornwell convey those characteristics to the audience so that the reader is drawn into the book/series?

Essay Topic 2

Given what you know about Scarpetta's character, address why she is so hesitant to discuss the money she took out of her account to help the Hales. Make sure to discuss at least 3 specific events or decisions in the novel that help develop the reader's awareness of Scarpetta's personality that lead her to not be open about her offer to the Hales.

Essay Topic 3

Analyze the relationship between Lucy and Scarpetta. Using direct evidence from the text, make sure to address the following points: what their relationship has been like historically, what their relationship is like now, and what the reader learns about these 2 characters through their interactions with each other.

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This section contains 836 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample