1.

What is suggested about the novel Death at La Fenice in the first paragraph?

A. Donna based the plot on a real-life event she had witnessed.
B. Donna didn't envisage the work ever being taken very seriously.
C. Donna had to be persuaded that it was good enough to win a prize.
D. Donna embarked upon it as a way of bringing about a change in her life.

2.

The second paragraph paints a picture of Donna as someone who...

A. has little respect for her fellow academics.
B. regrets having given up her job in a university.
C. was unsuited to being a university teacher.
D. failed to make a success of her academic career.

3.

From Donna's comments in the third paragraph, we understand that...

A. she feels crime fiction should be considered alongside other types of literature.
B. she is pleased with the level of recognition that her own novels have received.
C. she regards her own novels as inferior to those of Agatha Christie.
D. she finds the popularity of crime novels amongst academics very satisfying.

4.

Donna is described as an untypical crime writer because...

A. she is able to imagine crimes being committed by unlikely characters.
B. she is unconcerned whether or not her stories appear realistic.
C. she has little interest in the ways criminals think and operate.
D. she manages to come up with imaginative new ideas for her plots.

5.

Donna's greatest strength as a crime writer is seen as...

A. her avoidance of a fixed approach.
B. her injection of humour into her stories.
C. the clear moral message she puts across.
D. the strong evocation of place she achieves.

6.

When Donna helped set up "Il Complesso Barocco",

A. she didn't expect it to be a long-term project.
B. she saw it as more interesting than her writing work.
C. she had a fundamental disagreement with her main collaborator.
D. she was attracted by the challenge of the first deadline.

7.

In what way is Donna important to "Il Complesso Barocco"?

A. She provides essential financial support.
B. She oversees its day-to-day organisation.
C. She helps as a translator.
D. She organises the recruitment of performers.