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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. Why doesn't Behrani call an ambulance when they find Kathy has ingested pills?

2. Why do the police release Behrani with no charges against him?

3. How does Lester know that Kathy doesn't need to go to the hospital?

4. What deal does Lester offer Behrani when they come out of the bathroom?

5. Why doesn't Lester move his head as they drive to the county offices so that Behrani can see to drive?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Kathy feel a sense of unreality while she is in the hospital?

2. How do Behrani's feelings change when he finds Kathy in the car in his driveway?

3. Who does Lester want to call from jail and what does he plan to say?

4. After Esmail has been shot, the shooting officer looks at Lester. He needs a critical piece of information and Lester doesn't have it, either. What is that piece of information?

5. What is Connie Walsh's planned defense for Kathy?

6. Nadereh berates Behrani while he repairs her mother's table, but he lets her insults "pass over like training jets with no ammunition." Why doesn't he respond to her tirade, and what does she finally say that causes him to enter the argument?

7. When Lester describes his feelings during the drive to the county office, he says it is probably the way felons want to feel all the time. How does he say he feels?

8. Why does Lester feel that his gun has become a "burdensome overreaction in the house?"

9. Why does Lester conclude that the Behranis have told him the truth about Kathy's situation?

10. Behrani says that he sometimes believes he is being punished. What does he think he is being punished for, and how is this similar to Kathy's feelings?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is your opinion about what should have happened with the house? What would have been a fair outcome if the characters had told no lies and committed no crimes? Justify your opinion with facts from the story.

Essay Topic 2

Dubus has written a story with powerful themes. A theme is the author's main idea, or purpose in telling the tale. What do you believe Dubus is trying to teach us as his readers? Support your thesis with ideas or facts from the story.

Essay Topic 3

Lester's past has a strong effect on actions he believes he must take now. What happens in his younger days that skews his view of the world now? What is he trying to prove and why does he feel he must prove something? Support your idea with quotations from the book.

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