| [ ] Indirect | Trait: Ambition / Non-violent ego. |
| The narrator explicitly tells the reader his defining motive, distinguishing his white-collar pride from crude, violent thugs. |
| [Ch. 2]“The police, I knew, were looking for me as a thief, not a runaway. Every merchant and businessman I’d bilked was also on the alert...” (26) | [ ] Direct |
| [X] Indirect (Thoughts) | Trait: Vanity / Criminal Pride. |
| Reveals Frank's internal satisfaction at being feared as a master criminal rather than pitied as a desperate, abandoned minor. |
| [Ch. 2]Realizing his youth limits check-cashing, 16-year-old Frank alters his driver's license birth year from 1948 to 1938 with a razor blade and typewriter. | [ ] Direct |
| [X] Indirect (Actions) | Trait: Premeditation / Audacity. |
| His meticulous physical doctoring of state documents demonstrates resourceful problem-solving unburdened by legal or ethical boundaries. |
| [Ch. 1]“Dad still wanted to win Mom back and Mom didn’t want to be won. Dad was still using me as a mediator... casting me in the role of Cupid.” (21) | [ ] Direct |
| [X] Indirect (Effect/Role) | Trait: Premature Adult Burden / Actor Persona. |
| Being forced to play an emotional "role" between estranged parents trains Frank early in behavioral manipulation and social performance. |
Catch Me If You Can • Teacher Answer Key • Page 1 of 2
Teacher Key & Scoring Guide
Answer Key
Page 2 Evaluation
Grading Standard: In Part 4, students must provide at least two complete analytical sentences per device, moving from device function to broader thematic effect on reader or character.
Cheat Sheet Aligned
A. Quickness & Decisiveness Short Clauses / Sentences
“He looked at me. I smiled. He nodded. The check cleared.”
Target Term: Short phrases, clauses, and sentences
Model Effect: Four staccato, mono-clause sentences accelerate narrative speed and create suspense. The clipped rhythm illustrates Frank's disciplined, poker-faced composure under high-stakes pressure.
B. Expecting No Answer Rhetorical Question
“What kind of fool would question a man in uniform?” / “Did I feel guilty? Not in the least.”
Target Term: Rhetorical question
Model Effect: Questions expecting no response reveal Frank's internal monologue, uncovering his supreme egotism, complete lack of remorse, and dismissive rationalization that his victims deserve to be conned.
C. Slowing Pace & Serious Thought Long, Complex Sentences
“If I’d been some runaway from Kansas or Nebraska, New York, with its subway bedlam... might have sent me scurrying back to the prairies.”
Target Term: Long, complex sentences
Model Effect: The elongated conditional periodic structure slows reading pace for serious reflection, displaying an educated, sophisticated background that sets Frank apart from common runaways.
D. Thought Interjection Dash
“Dad’s business had collapsed—the IRS had padlocked his store—and the shock shattered what was left of our family.”
Target Term: Dash
Model Effect: The dashes physically interrupt the sentence structure to inject the jarring, unvarnished trauma of financial ruin, mirroring how abruptly his parents' crisis shattered his childhood stability.
Exam Standard Models
Retrospective Flashback Effect Key: Looking back from adulthood, Frank controls narrative pacing and reader sympathies, creating a confessional yet unapologetic tone that makes readers root for his resourcefulness rather than condemn his felonies.
| Device Category | Exemplary Text Quote | Model Effect (Two Complete Analytical Sentences) |
|---|---|---|
| Diction: Pedantic Educated word choice | “...my scruples fortified by such nebulous defenses... proceeds of my spurious checks.” | (Sentence 1) Abagnale deploys sophisticated, pedantic vocabulary to describe the forging of worthless bank checks as an intellectual pursuit. (Sentence 2) This elevates his criminal actions into a polished professional endeavor, establishing a detached tone that obscures the immorality of check theft. |
| Syntax: Short Sentences Staccato clauses | “He looked at me. I smiled. He nodded. The check cleared.” | (Sentence 1) The author utilizes a rapid sequence of four simple declarative sentences that sharply quickens narrative pacing during the transaction. (Sentence 2) This abrupt syntax creates breathless suspense while simultaneously highlighting Frank’s calm, unflinching emotional control under immediate threat of arrest. |
| Characterization: Direct Explicit self-definition | “I was never a violent man, but I was an ambitious one.” | (Sentence 1) Frank directly characterizes his personal moral philosophy by explicitly stating that intense ambition, rather than physical cruelty, drives his illicit operations. (Sentence 2) This direct disclosure shapes the reader’s perception by framing his impending cross-country swindles as products of entrepreneurial drive rather than violent malice. |
Catch Me If You Can • Teacher Answer Key • Page 2 of 2
