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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In what city does this story take place?
(a) Boston.
(b) New York City.
(c) Los Angeles.
(d) Miami.

2. Who were some of the narrator's new neighbors?
(a) A bookie and a fortune teller.
(b) A dancer, a lawyer, a restaurant, and a newspaper agency.
(c) A nosy old lady, a card shark, a lawyer, and a bar.
(d) Brooks Brothers, a bank, Bonwit Teller, Police Headquarters, and an ad agency.

3. When Patty leaves for New York, what does Spenser do?
(a) Watches tennis matches on TV.
(b) Go for a run.
(c) Read.
(d) Go to his office to catch up on some other cases.

4. Besides the narrator, who else was evicted from the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Boylston?
(a) A fortune-teller and a bookie.
(b) A pet shop and a dry cleaner.
(c) A bank and a tailor.
(d) No one.

5. In Chapter 4, what reasoning does the narrator give for his career choice?
(a) "It lets me live life on my own terms."
(b) "All the good acting roles were taken."
(c) "I used to be a singer, until I popped my vocal chord."
(d) "I couldn't finish medical school."

Short Answer Questions

1. When Patty leaves for New York, what does Paul do?

2. In Chapter 7, what is Patty's "plan" for Spenser?

3. When Spenser tells Patty that he does not want a personal relationship with her, what is her reaction?

4. Who is inside the building that the narrator enters in Chapter 3?

5. Who is the narrator?

Short Essay Questions

1. In the scene where Paul arrives home, Patty is entertaining a male guest, Stephen Court. How does that scene make you feel?

2. In Chapter 10, Patty propositions Spenser, who politely rejects her advances. The two have a fairly lengthy discussion about the event, during which we learn more about Patty's feelings of self worth. What are those feelings?

3. What does Spenser's preparation of the impromptu meal in Chapter 9 reveal about his character?

4. In Chapter 9, Spenser makes an impromptu dinner for himself and Paul. At the dinner table, Paul seems surprised that Spenser can cook. The discussion that follows allows the reader to learn more about Paul and his relationship with the world around him. What did you learn about Paul and how he relates to the world around him?

5. What type of person does Paul Giacomin appear to be?

6. When Paul arrives home, what is the reaction that mother and son both give and receive?

7. What type of person does Mel Giacomin appear to be?

8. In Chapter 6 we are introduced to Spenser's girlfriend, Susan Silverman. What type of a person does she seem to be, and how does that contrast or compliment Spenser's personality?

9. Based on what we read in Chapter 2, what types of personal qualities would be necessary to handle Spenser's job? Why?

10. If you were Spenser, what would you have done differently in Chapter 2?

(see the answer keys)

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