Book Opener

The Opening SceneRobin and Patrick are about to sit down at their diningroom table. They have invited their neighbors,Liz and Jeff, to join them for dinner.The NeighborsROBIN: It’s great to get together with you guys.LIZ: Did you hear what happened while you wereaway yesterday?ROBIN: No. What happened?JEFF: We had a fire in the neighborhood, and therewas a shootout!ROBIN: A shootout?JEFF: Yeah. The police came with a warrant to arrestMrs. Vicker’s son, Robert. The Vickers live up thestreet, you know. The police wanted Robert forarmed robbery.PATRICK: Mrs. Vickers is a nice lady, but I’ve never mether son.JEFF: Well, when Robert saw the police outside thehouse, he started shooting out the window.ROBIN: I don’t believe it!LIZ: He wounded two officers, and the officers finallyhad to kill him.ROBIN: Oh my. Poor Mrs. Vickers!JEFF: And later in the day, Steve and Linda’s housecaught on fire.LIZ: Yeah, Steve lit the grill on the back porch andwent inside for a minute. When he came out, theporch was on fire.PATRICK: Did it do much damage?JEFF: It ruined the porch and damaged the kitchenquite a bit.ROBIN: I hope their insurance will cover it.PATRICK: Steve and I were talking about our fireinsurance coverage just last week. He said hishouse was insured for about half its value.ROBIN: That should cover any fire damage, then.PATRICK: Say, I just remembered something. I loanedSteve my laptop last week. I hope it wasn’tdestroyed in the fire.JEFF: Your homeowner’s insurance should cover that.PATRICK: Speaking of insurance, I don’t knowwhether it’s better to get term life insurance orstraight life insurance.JEFF: I think term insurance is best. I heard it buildsup a loan value that you can borrow from.ROBIN: Dinner’s almost ready. I can smell the steakcooking on the grill.PATRICK: I hope you’re watching it! We don’t wantour house to burn down!JEFF: Hey, here’s an idea! Why don’t Liz and I takeout life insurance on your two lives, and you take itout on ours. That way, if you get killed in a shootout,we can collect.LIZ: Don’t joke about that, Jeff. It’s not funny.ROBIN: Poor Mrs. Vickers. I hope she had insuranceon her son’s life.1. Is the full amount of a loss covered when a houseis insured for half its value?2. Does a homeowner’s policy cover damage topersonal property left at someone else’s house?3. Can policyholders borrow money on a terminsurance policy?4. Can people take out life insurance on anyonethey want?5. Is an insurance company liable if the insured iskilled while trying to avoid capture by the police?Chapter 35: Insurance Protection 751