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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 is Johnboy's standing with the public?

2. Who does Ben have information on?

3. What does Ochs asks Ben's hospital guard to get for him after his first visit?

4. Who hired Thomas Berryman to kill Horn?

5. Why does Ochs go to a mental hospital?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the reader find out is the plot of the story after reading the Prologue?

2. How does Ochs's opinion of Ben change from his first interview to his last?

3. Why is Ochs sent to Long Island?

4. Describe the profession of Ochs Jones.

5. What does Ben Toy inform Ochs Jones about Thomas Berryman's last job when he was hired as a hit man?

6. Who works on the Bowditch ward at the William Pound Institute, and why is this person important to Ochs's investigation?

7. What happens to Ben after accepting the order to kill Horn?

8. When Ochs returns to Long Island, what information is he given?

9. What happens that causes readers to become more aware of the emotional state of Ben?

10. What news does Ochs receive while bathing in his hotel room?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The story involves the friendship and business relationship of Ben Toy and Thomas Berryman. The two are the most prominent characters in the story due to their roles in the murder of Jimmie Lee Horn. Describe the relationship between Ben Toy and Thomas Berryman. When did they meet? How did the two get entangled in the plot to kill Horn? Why did Ben disappear without telling Berryman where he was in order to keep a safe distance between them?

Essay Topic 2

In Part 3, Thomas Berryman spends a weekend at a beach house with Oona Quinn. What does Berryman let slip to Oona? How does his slip cause Oona to be involved in the plan to kill Horn? Was the slip good or did it lead to trouble? Use examples from the reading in order to justify your response.

Essay Topic 3

In Part 4, Thomas Berryman goes to Texas to visit his ill father. When Berryman visits his sick father, what emotional response do readers feel towards him? Does the scene allow readers to see Berryman from a different perspective?

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