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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. How is Robin Ellacott's engagement ring described?

2. What was the value of Lula Landry's penthouse flat when she died?

3. Who was Lula's friend that she spent much of her last day alive with?

4. Who does Strike recall screaming at him the prior night in Part 1, Chapter 2?

5. Where was Lula Landry when she was discovered by a modeling agent?

Short Essay Questions

1. What information does Strike seek from Robin during his meeting with John Bristow in Part 1, Chapter 3? What information does she remit to him?

2. How is the scene described in the opening of the Prologue? What mood does this scene evoke?

3. What does Eric Wardle tell Strike about the CCTV tape in Part 2, Chapter 10?

4. What are Strike's circumstances when he first encounters Robin?

5. Who is Jonny Rokeby and what role does he play in The Cuckoo's Calling?

6. What role does race play in The Cuckoo's Calling?

7. Why does Strike say it is unlikely that Lula's murder was premeditated in Part 2, Chapter 2?

8. Who is Mrs. Hook and why does she become upset in Part 2, Chapter 5?

9. What details does Tansy Bestigui relate to Strike regarding her witnessing Lula's fall in Part 2, Chapter 11?

10. What psychological problems are attributed to Lula Landry? Why are these problems important?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Outline and analyze the plot structure of The Cuckoo's Calling. Where does exposition transition into rising action? Where does the climax of the narrative occur? What tone and mood are evoked in the falling action and denouement of the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss examples of irony in The Cuckoo's Calling. How does the author employ irony to develop tension in the narrative? What are examples of situational, verbal, and dramatic irony and what purpose does each example serve to the text?

Essay Topic 3

What do Robin and Strike learn when they visit Vashti? How do they gain this information? In what ways does Robin prove herself to be a beneficial assistant to Strike during this visit?

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