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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 10, after Patty freshens up and returns to the breakfast table, she and Spenser have a discussion. What is that discussion about?

2. In Chapter 10, Spenser says that he did not mind Patty's idea of fancy cooking; but that there was something that he did mind. What was it?

3. In Chapter 3, after the narrator enters the house and confronts the two people inside, how do the people react?

4. Who is the narrator?

5. What is the narrator hired to do in Chapter 1?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

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

3. What type of person does the narrator seem to be?

4. 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?

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

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

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

8. How does Spenser diffuse the situation between himself, Buddy, and Harold in Chapter 11?

9. 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?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One major theme throughout the book is autonomy, or self-reliance. We see that Spenser is a very self-reliant individual, and he sees that Paul is not, and that without the skills of autonomy, Paul will not be able to survive on his own. Explore the idea of autonomy as it relates to Paul; what will his world look like if he continues down the path that he was on before he met Spenser. What will his world look like after he leaves Spenser for school? Use instances from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Spenser is the protagonist (hero, good guy) of the story. He is a complex character with many personality aspects who makes some very tough decisions throughout the book. What makes Spenser the hero of the story, even though he makes some decisions which could be viewed as morally problematic? Use instances from the text to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Spenser feels that in order for Paul to be autonomous, he must learn to work with his hands and have structure and order in his life. To illustrate this, Spenser adheres to a routine of physical exercise and construction on the cabin mixed in with new experiences like going to museums and listening to baseball games on the radio. Do you agree with Spenser that such activities and lessons as these (and the others described in the book) are important to Paul's becoming autonomous? Why? Why not? Use the text to support your answers.

(see the answer keys)

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