View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What happens during the church service on Sunday, July 12th?

2. What does O'Brien tell Steve about Bobo's testimony the day after Bobo testified?

3. What is King's verdict?

4. How does Petrocelli frame Doctor Moody's answer about the cause of death?

5. Who does Steve attempt to hug when he hears his verdict?

Short Essay Questions

1. When Briggs questions Henry about identifying King, what does she admit about the photographs the police showed her?

2. How does the medical examiner say Mr. Nesbitt died?

3. Why did King visit Ms. Moore on the day of the crime?

4. When O'Brien comes to see Steve on July 14 after Bobo's testimony, what does she say she has to now do in court to save Steve?

5. Why is Ms. Moore not at work the day King came to see her?

6. On Sunday the 12th, how does Steve see his brother Jerry?

7. What do the prisoners eat for breakfast on Sunday, July 12?

8. What does O'Brien say about Petrocelli's bringing the crime scene photos out again just before the long weekend recess?

9. What does Henry mean in the pretrial questioning when she says she is having trouble testifying that King was involved in the crime?

10. What happens when Steve is made to mop the floor?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One interpretation of Steve's actions may lay the blame for his involvement with Mr. Nesbitt's murder on peer pressure and his desire to belong. Write an analytical essay defining peer pressure and Steve's desire to fit in, explaining the circumstances under which he allowed himself to be influenced, and the (bad) choices he made. You may, if you like, include whether or not you think that Steve's friends are more responsible for his actions that he himself is.

Essay Topic 2

This book is courtroom drama. Pick one of the legal arguments made by either Petrocelli or O'Brien in their closing arguments. Write a detailed essay explaining the legal reasoning at work in their arguments and the evidence each lawyer has presented to prove her case. Be sure to use specific details from the case and the closing arguments in your answer.

Essay Topic 3

This story relies not only on journal entries, but also on scenes from a screenplay to establish plot, setting, characterization, action, and other fictional elements. Write an analytical essay explaining how Walter Dean Myers establishes Steve's point-of-view in these screenplay scenes. In addition, be sure to include detailed analyses of how this specific point-of-view effectively communicates fictional elements including, but not limited to plot, setting, or characterization.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 904 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample