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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. Visiting the Fluxion office, what does Riker tell Qwilleran?

2. Who does Qwilleran take on a search of his building?

3. Whose car does Qwilleran discover fits the size and shape of the second car that was at the Ellsworth House?

4. What is Qwilleran's impression of Hollis Prantz?

5. What is rumored that former mayor Ellsworth had hidden in the house where C. C. was murdered?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Qwilleran leash Koko and take him of a tour of the Cobb building?

2. Why do Qwilleran and Mary move the bookshelf in his apartment?

3. What does Qwilleran find in Nicolas's apartment after he has a meal with him?

4. What arrangement does Qwilleran make with Ben Nicolas?

5. What is interesting about the pattern of the sole of Russell Patch's boots?

6. Explain who Qwilleran suspects of having gone to the Ellsworth House.

7. How does Qwilleran mistake the source of the things Koko brings to him?

8. What information does Mrs. McGuffey give Qwilleran that might possibly prove to be a motive for Andy's murder?

9. After Mary leaves, what does Qwilleran do to show that he is a genuine cat lover?

10. What does Yum Yum show Qwilleran and where was it?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In two or more type written double spaced pages, write an essay on "Why I Thought [another character] Was the Murderer". Braun cleverly intersperses enough red herrings that almost any of the characters might have been the murderer. Pick out one other than Ben Nicolas and detail the mystery around that character that pointed to his or her possible guilt.

Essay Topic 2

In two or more type written double spaced pages, write an essay on "How to Look for Clues in a Mystery Novel". Using examples from the novel, discuss (1) how important clues such as the pot bellied stove are introduced in a trivial manner, (2) how to spot red herrings like Mary's disturbing phone calls, and (3) how to formulate theories in the same manner the detectives in the novel do.

Essay Topic 3

In two or more type written double spaced pages, write an essay on "Why Innocent Characters Must Be Suspects in a Mystery Novel". From Braun's novel, use Hollis Krantz, Iris Cobb, and Mary Duckworth as potential murderers within the novel.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 727 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample