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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 identifies the knife that was used to murder Linda Polk?

2. Which of the following does Diz NOT think about Fr. Cavanaugh?

3. Who inadvertently tells Big Ed that Frannie is pregnant?

4. How did Diz and Jane's son die?

5. The District Attorney tells Abe that Sam Polk could not have killed Eddie because __________________.

Short Essay Questions

1. What bit of information does Rose, the rectory housekeeper, find to be out of place when Father Cavanaugh talks with Abe?

2. What are the circumstances of Sam Polk's death?

3. What were Arturo Cruz' reasons for lying to the police about his knowledge of Eddie's death?

4. What advice does Dismas get from his former father-in-law, Judge Fowler, about the case?

5. How does the Drug Enforcement Agency or DEA view the case of Eddie's death?

6. Dismas meets with Father Cavanaugh and does not realize that the priest reveals a huge piece of information in the case. What is it?

7. What feeling does Dismas get that Eddie's death has not been related to a drug deal or trouble at work?

8. What surprises Abe when he meets Father Cavanaugh?

9. Who is Matthew R. Brody III and what information does he give Dismas regarding blackmailing Arturo Cruz?

10. What does Arturo Cruz tell Dismas about the night Eddie died and how can he prove that he did not kill him?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explain the concept of loneliness as it exhibits in the story. Which of the characters are lonely? Are they all lonely in some way? Explain the loneliness and the methods and attempts to overcome it.

Essay Topic 2

Explain the taboo of homosexuality that still existed at the time DEAD IRISH was written in 1989. Compare and contrast homosexuality in America during the late 20th century to homosexuality in America today. What major changes have occurred concerning the social attitude towards homosexuality in both positive and negative ways?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the role of the family in DEAD IRISH. What does it mean for each of the main characters? How does the family evolve in its support of each other? How typical is this family of most Irish families living during the late-20th century in America?

(see the answer keys)

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