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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. Which one of the men who enter Patty's house in Chapter 11 does Spenser know?
(a) Harry.
(b) Hawk.
(c) Harold.
(d) Buddy.

2. Who is Elaine Brooks?
(a) Spenser's receptionist.
(b) Mel Giacomin's girlfriend.
(c) Spenser's client.
(d) A witness.

3. What is Spenser's response to Patty's "plan" in Chapter 7?
(a) He agrees, but acknowledges that guarding them is only a temporary solution.
(b) He politely declines the job, and gives her the name of an associate more suited for that type of work.
(c) He asks her to put him on permanent retainer.
(d) He tells her that it will not work, and that they must think of something else.

4. How does the narrator enter the building in Chapter 3?
(a) By knocking on the door and acting like a census taker.
(b) By walking in through the open front door.
(c) By breaking in.
(d) By ringing the bell and posing as a messenger.

5. When they arrive at the house in Chapter 4, how does the passenger enter the house?
(a) He runs up the front steps and bursts through the door.
(b) He barges in the front door and yells, "Hey! I'm home!"
(c) He opens the back door and enters without knocking or any type of announcement.
(d) He pulls out his key and unlocks the side entrance to the house.

Short Answer Questions

1. In what month does the story begin?

2. Who was at home with Patty when Spenser and Paul arrived in Chapter 5?

3. In Chapter 4, what does the passenger say about the narrator's profession?

4. What habit does the passenger have that drives the narrator absolutely crazy during their car ride in Chapter 4?

5. Where does the narrator follow the woman to in Chapter 3?

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

3. In April, after Mel's thugs try to kidnap Paul, Patty Giacomin calls Spenser for help once again. This time, she asks Spenser to protect her and Paul. Why does Patty desperately call Spenser when she experiences trouble with her ex-husband in relation to her son?

4. What does Spenser's rescue plan for Patty and Paul along with its execution show us about yet another part of Spenser's personality?

5. What type of person does Patty Giacomin seem to be?

6. By the beginning of Chapter 6, some time has passed since Spenser's case with the Giacomins; but, he really cannot stop thinking about the whole situation. It bothers him at a basketball game during a date with his girlfriend, Susan. What does this extended concern that Spenser shows for Paul and the discontent that Spenser feel for Patty and Mel show about Spenser's character?

7. 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?

8. Spenser reluctantly takes the job of protecting Patty and Paul from Mel and his thugs. What reservations does Spenser have about taking the job, and why does he take it?

9. In Chapter 8, Patty makes breakfast for herself and Spenser after Spenser drops Paul off at school. During breakfast the two of them get into a somewhat heated discussion about the roles of men and women in life, as well as their places in society. What are Patty's views on the topic as shown by that discussion?

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

(see the answer keys)

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