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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. What does Marlowe do when Webber asks him to promise to keep what he's told Marlowe quiet?

2. What is Mrs. Grayson doing, when Marlowe comes to visit the Graysons?

3. What is Marlowe's cellmate doing?

4. Why does Cooney want to beat up Marlowe, after Dobbs tells him to stop?

5. What is Degarmo's status with the police at the time of the murder Marlowe is framed for?

Short Essay Questions

1. What conditions does Marlowe discover in the apartment he enters after leaving the murdered woman's apartment?

2. How does Grayson describe Mr. Talley?

3. What is the reaction of the younger policeman, Eddie, when he sees the gun on the table?

4. How does Degarmo react when Marlowe tells him about Mrs. Fallbrook?

5. What is Mrs. Talley's attitude?

6. How does Degarmo act toward the sentries at the dam on the way to the cabin?

7. How does Grayson describe Dr. Almore's practice?

8. Who does Marlowe call to verify where Kingsley has gone, once he guesses where it is?

9. After Patton shoots at Degarmo, what does Degarmo do?

10. How does the desk sergeant annoy Degarmo?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Degarmo both brings Marlowe into the central mystery of the story and drives the ending of the novel. Discuss Degarmo's character.

1) Why does Degarmo try to protect his wife? Why does he ultimately kill her?

2) In what ways is Degarmo corrupt? What is the motivation behind his corruption?

3) How intelligent is Degarmo? What mistakes does he make? How does Marlowe see through him?

Essay Topic 2

Marlowe delves into an underground world of crime and corruption that lives beneath the normal-seeming surface world of the city. Discuss the presence of this underground world in the novel.

1) What different segments of society are present in the novel? How does Marlowe travel between them?

2) What aspects of society in the novel remain hidden? What is it taboo to talk about?

3) What open secrets are there in the novel? An open secret is something illicit and undiscussed, but something that everyone knows about.

Essay Topic 3

Through Marlowe's association with crime, he naturally is associated with police and law enforcers. Discuss the police and law enforcers in the novel.

1) What different sides are there to police and law enforcement in the novel, both positive and negative?

2) How does Marlowe relate to the police in the novel? What is his relationship with law enforcement like?

3) Discuss specific officers of the law in the novel, including Patton, Degarmo, Webber, and uniformed police Marlowe deals with. How do they perceive their jobs? How do they deal with the multifaceted nature of law enforcement?

(see the answer keys)

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