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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. From whom does Cliff Baxter ask for information about Keith Landry?

2. Where did Keith Landry work for many years?

3. What does the warning say?

4. What political goal is the town councilwoman starting?

5. What holiday does Keith Landry spend with family?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Cliff Baxter's reaction when he hears that Keith Landry is back in town?

2. What was Keith Landry's relationship with Annie like, before they split?

3. What happens after Keith Landry gives Billy Marlon a ride home?

4. Descartes the meeting Gail Porter put together.

5. How does Cliff Baxter's presence influence Keith Landry's relationship with his car?

6. What is the state of Annie Baxter's relationship with Keith Landry at the beginning of the novel?

7. Describe Annie's departure from Keith Landry's house.

8. How does Cliff Baxter try to get information on Keith Landry?

9. How does Annie Baxter conclude that her husband is having an affair?

10. Describe the meeting between Annie and Keith Landry.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How do you account for Cliff Baxter's brutal temperament? Is it a fact of nature, an aberration in human psychology, a product of circumstances, or is there some other cause for it? How does the author account for it?

Essay Topic 2

Is Spencerville a romance novel or an action novel? Describe how the novel balances or fails to balance the love theme and the rivalry between Keith Landry and Cliff Baxter.

Essay Topic 3

While Annie and Keith Landry dispose of Cliff Baxter in the end, they seem to have the entire community's support. Is their accomplishment ultimately an individual accomplishment, or did the entire community effectively bring about Cliff Baxter's downfall?

(see the answer keys)

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