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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Chapter 6, what nagging situation is on Spenser's mind?

2. Besides the narrator, who else was evicted from the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Boylston?

3. Who hires the narrator in Chapter 1?

4. What did the narrator accomplish by visiting the woman in Chapter 2?

5. In what month does the story begin?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. Do you think that it was wise for Spenser to have entered Giacomin's house the way that he did?

4. Why does Spenser not like the growing sense of intimacy that he describes in Chapter 10?

5. 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?

6. What does the discussion that Patty and Spenser have in Chapter 8 reveal to the audience about Patty's real character?

7. 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?

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

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

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Mel and Patty have a complex relationship. They used to be in love, hence their marriage and Paul's birth. Somewhere along the way, that marriage disintegrated, leading to their separation and eventual divorce. Now their only purpose is to hurt each other in any way that they can, specifically to use Paul as the object to do that with.

Part 1) Explore the motivation that the two have to hurt each other the way that they do; why do you think that they do it?

Part 2) What effect has that relationship between his parents had on Paul?

Use specific examples from the text to support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

Patty Giacomin and Susan Silverman are two women who play important roles in "Early Autumn".

Part 1) Compare and contrast the characters of Patty and Susan. How are they the same? How are they different?

Part 2) What would have happened if those two characters, Patty and Susan, never existed in the story? Use instances from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

This story takes place in Boston, and all of the characters are Boston residents. The characters in "Early Autumn" do not speak with any kind of accent, most notably the "Bahstahn" accent. Why does Parker not have his characters speak with any accents?

(see the answer keys)

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