1) Where does the scene take place ?
The scene takes place in Calvin and Jenna Whitehall's twelve-room mansion in Greenwich, Connecticut.

2) Name the four characters. Say :
a) whether they are present or just mentioned.
Jenna and Calvin Whitehall are present while Gary and Molly are only mentioned.
b) how they relate to one another, when possible.
Jenna and Calvin are a married couple. Molly Lasch is Jenna Whitehall's very best friend and Gary, who recently died, may have been Molly's husband.

3) Tick the two adjectives which best apply to Jen's state of mind. Justify by quoting from the next :
o suspicious
X concerned
l 3 "I intend to be with her"
o carefree
o interfering
X tense
l 5 "you are attractive when you're mad and trying not to show it"

4) Who or what do the following pronouns refer to ?
- l.1 : "I" Jenna Whitehall
- l.2 : "her" Molly's
- l.3 : "I" Jenna Whitehall
- l.4 : "it" Molly's story

5) Are both Jenna and Calvin convinced that Molly told the truth about Gary's death ? Explain in your own words, using elements from the text (30 words).
Molly said that she didn't remember anything about Gary's death and Jenna believes her friend. Moreover she intends to help Molly. Unlike his wife, Calvin doubts Molly's innocence "That's her story" (l 2)

6) True (T) or false (F) ? Circle the right box and justify by quoting from the text :
a. Calvin Whitehall imposed respect from those around him
True
l 9-10 "Thick eyebrows over ice-blue eyes enhanced the aura of authority that emanated from him"

b. Calvin Whitehall had always led a comfortable life
False
l 11 "His humble beginnings"

c. He intervened whenever his parents started quarreling
False
l 20 "In the tiny spartan bedroom that had been his retreat from his parents"

d. He had managed to rise up the social ladder and become his own boss
True
l 14 "A scholarship to Yale (...) had led to a spectacular rise in the business world."
l 30 "At 30, he wrenched control of the company from the bewildered owner"

e. Memories of his childhood hardships disappeared completely thanks to his rapid ascension
False
l 34 "The satisfaction of the kill appeased in him the lingering anger at his father's bullying"

f. Calvin's choices left no room for improvisation.
True
l 40 "She, too, had been part of his plan".

7) l.32-33 : "It was his first opportunity (...) would win"
What does the narrator's choice of words here reveal about Calvin's determination to succeed ? (40 words)
Words such as "prey" and "win" reveal that Calvin considers the business world as a jungle in which one must fight and kill to succeed. Calvin also considers it a game in which he takes a certain pleasure since he knows he will win : "cat and mouse" ; "to toy" ; "a game"

8) Define the couple's personal relationship. Was it satisfying to both husband and wife ? (50 words)
Yes, the relationship was satisfying to both husband and wife since each one offered the other what he or she needed to succeed. She is gorgeous, from a good but impoverished family, while he is handsome and rich but from a lower class. It seems that even the absence of children suits both of them.