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. Why does Harry think it's worth visiting the Castillo de los Ojos in Chapter 26?

2. Why does Harry look away from his own image in the mirror after he shoots Moore?

3. Who does Harry tell Ely that he thinks is the real owner of EnviroBreed?

4. Why is it a problem that Harry brought Aguila with him to meet Ramos in Chapter 28?

5. What does Harry find out about Cal Moore at his boyhood home?

Short Essay Questions

1. How and where does Harry find the histories of Calexico?

2. What does Calexico look like, according to the narrator?

3. In Chapter 32, how does Harry know that Moore is in residence in the house at Coyote Trail?

4. What is the clue at the beginning of Chapter 31 that Harry almost missed, and who finds it instead?

5. Why did many day laborers at the circle refuse to work at EnviroBreed?

6. What does the EnviroBreed building look like?

7. What does Harry find out when he calls Hollywood, to the police, from Calexico?

8. What was the terrible thing that Cecil did to Moore as a boy?

9. As Harry is driving back into L.A., he sees a hill scorched by fire. Despite the destruction, why is he not worried?

10. In Chapter 21, Harry insists on taking the Caprice. Why is he so intent on driving that car?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an analytical essay that defines the way you understand the terms "fictional double" or "Doppelganger" as ways of reading a novel. In addition, offer specific examples from this text to which these terms are relevant. Questions to consider are: Does this text have a literal double or a figurative one (or both)? What does each "twin" figure represent? What roles does this doubling play in the text?

Essay Topic 2

A satisfying mystery must keep tension up to draw interest, but also withhold information from the reader in order to make the mystery "pay off." One primary way a mystery author can achieve this balance is through clues released along the way. Write an essay that explains and interrogates at least three key clues Michael Connelly's character uses to solve the mystery. Questions to consider include: how does Harry find the clue? What mental leap must he make to put it together with other information? How satisfying is it for the reader? Is the pay off of the solve great enough to justify these clues?

Essay Topic 3

This novel is a contemporary mystery that uses the trade of illegal drugs as both setting and plot. In an analytical essay, offer an explanation and analysis of how the drug trade functions 1) as setting and 2) as the source of the plot. Be sure to use specific examples from the text that richly illustrate the claims you make. In addition, you may also consider what you learned about the drug trade during our class discussion on it.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 979 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample