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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 did Tom ask Catherine for a beer?

2. What does Catherine realize about the dog she saw at the beginning of the novel?

3. Which of the following does NOT describe Tom?

4. Where was Catherine when she learned about the death of her parents?

5. Who taught Catherine how to shoot?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do people feel so comfortable confiding their secrets to Catherine? How does Catherine feel about the secrets of the town and being the one they are told to?

2. What is Catherine's own idea of her present image in Lowfield and how does she feel about it?

3. What is the exchange between Catherine and the sheriff like and how does Catherine feel about this?

4. Why does Molly Perkins visit Catherine? What does Catherine thinks she wants and how does Catherine respond toward her?

5. Who does Catherine receive a call from while she is on her lunch break on Tuesday? What does this person accuse Catherine of and what is her response?

6. Describe the last time that Catherine talked to Leona Gaites, as she explains it to Sheriff Galton.

7. What does Catherine decide to do after making her discovery in the tenant house? Does her emotional state deter her?

8. Who does the body that Catherine discovers turn out to be and why is the sheriff disturbed at the discovery?

9. What is the atmosphere at work like on Tuesday? When is the newspaper deadline and what mishaps occur to stress the workers of the paper?

10. Why do Randall and Tom both pay Catherine a visit at her house after she comes home from the sheriff's office on the day she finds the body?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Just as there are main characters interacting with Catherine in the novel, there are a peppering of minor characters that play a role in the novel's development. Discuss the minor characters and their place in the development of the story. Include in your discussion the characters of Betty Eakins, Martin Barnes, Jewel Crenna, Leila Masham and Salton Sims.

Essay Topic 2

In the small town of Lowfield, it seems that everyone knows each other. Discuss Catherine's relationship with other more prevalent characters in the novel and how her relationships affect the development of the novel and perhaps even Catherine herself. Talk about Catherine's relationships with Sheriff Galton, Randall Gerrard, and Tom Mascalco. Include examples from the book to support your opinions.

Essay Topic 3

Symbols are commonly used in literature to represent an idea or feeling that the author chooses to be present in the novel. For example, in "Sweet and Deadly," a couple of the symbols used include the dun colored dog and the baseball bat used to commit the crimes. The dog can be seen as the symbol for the "circle of life" that Catherine and Randall talk about a few times and the baseball bat can identify the hostility of the killer. Use these symbols and provide other examples from the novel and answer the following questions. What do the symbols in the novel stand for? How? What do the symbols promote or convey to the reader in the novel? How does the author use the symbol to convey an idea and why does she use the symbol instead of simply stating her idea?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,640 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample