CRIME NEVER PAYS – SELECTION TEST – 4to BACHILLERATO
The companion
Exposition
• Place: Gran Canary
• Time:
• Characters: Dr. Lloyd, Mr. Marple, Amy Durrant, and Marty Barton
• Conflict: Dr. Lloyd suspects accidental drowning as actually a murder
Rising action
• Doctor Lloyd notices two unremarkable English women and dismisses them
• At Las Nieves, he sees an accidental drowning.
• While trying to revive the victim, he sees a strange look in the survivor’s face.
• Witness testifies she saw survivor drowning Mary on purpose.
• Before Amy leaves the island, she speaks with Dr. Lloyd guiltily
• Amy fakes suicide and disappears.
• Miss Marple makes connection to Mrs. Trouts case – Mary being impersonated by Amy
Climax
• In Australia, Dr. Lloyd encounters Amy who supposedly had committed suicide.
Falling action
• Amy confesses that the crime she committed was to save her siblings.
Resolution
• Dr. Lloyd decides not to tell anyone, let her go because she was going to die anyway.
Author’s theme
 Crime never pays. She committed a crime, and even though the law didn’t catch up with her,
nature made her pay. She didn’t live long enough to enjoy the crime.
CRIME NEVER PAYS – SELECTION TEST – 4to BACHILLERATO
The case of the Defence
Exposition
•Place: Northwood Street, London
•Time: ?
•Characters: Mr. Adams, his twin, Mrs. Salmon, Mrs. Parker (??)
•Conflict: Mr. Adams is in trial for allegedly killing Mrs. Parker.
Rising Action
•Mrs. Parker was found battered to death in her apartment
•Mr. Adams was accused of killing Mrs. Parker.
•Mrs. Salmon and other witnesses gave their testimony (in which they
assured he was guilty and they saw him leaving the house)
Climax
•The defense presents the idea of mistaken identity and Mr. Adams twin
stands up.
Falling action
•Because the witnesses weren’t able to say for sure which of the twins
was guilty, he was acquitted.
Resolution
•When they were leaving, one of the twins was pushed in front of a bus.
Author’s theme:
Crime never pays. Mr. Adams and his twin committed a crime and got away with it, but one of them was
pushed in front of a bus. It was like “karma.”
CRIME NEVER PAYS – SELECTION TEST – 4to BACHILLERATO
A glowing future
Exposition
•Place: London
•Time:
•Characters: Betsy and Maurice (Patricia?)
•Conflict: Betsy was really upset because Maurice had gone to Australia and he just
returned to get his possessions and send them to his new partner, Patricia, with
whom he will be living now.
Rising action
•Maurice returns to London and made love to Betsy.
•Maurice told Betsy (over breakfast) that he was leaving because he had met another
girl.
•Maurice calls the shipping services to go pick his things.
•Betsy argues with Maurice because he didn’t communicate when he was in Australia.
•Betsy threw a figurine towards Maurice.
•Betsy writes a letter for Patricia saying Maurice was not loyal.
•Maurice packs things in a trunk and in tea chests and addresses them to Patricia.
•Betsy apologized to Maurice while taking off her clothes, but he pushed her away.
•Betsy founds the letter for Patricia.
Climax
•Betsy kills Maurice with a lamp.
Falling action
•Betsy cleans up everything before the men came to pick up the things.
Resolution
•Betsy sent Maurice’s corpse to Patricia with the note that he had written before, “All
this is for you, darling Patricia, forever and ever.”
CRIME NEVER PAYS – SELECTION TEST – 4to BACHILLERATO
The Lottery
Exposition
•Place:
•Time: June 27th, 10:00 (summer)
•Characters: Mr. Summers, Tessie Hutchinson, Old Man Warner, Bill
Hutchinson, Mr. Harry Graves…
•Conflict: Conservatives carried out a lottery to see who was going to be
sacrificed. People were starting to disagree with this tradition.
Rising action
•Kids had piles of stones.
•Families started to gather around
•Mr. Summers arrived carrying the black wooden box.
•Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves prepare the ritual
•Mrs. Hutchinson arrived late
•Mr. Summers reminds everyone about the rules
•People start being called. Mr. Hutchinson gets the marked
paper.
•Tessie protests that the lottery isn’t fair.
Climax
•The Hutchinson family has to draw a paper each.
Falling action
•Tessie “wins” the lottery.
Resolution
•Tessie was persecuted by the villagers and hit by stones.
Author’s Theme: the danger of blindly following tradition. The villagers accept the lottery blindly and
feel powerless to change it. They don’t stop to think what they are doing, they just do because it is a
tradition.