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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. Who is the tall man with the boot camp crew-cut and a navy watch cap who entered Patty's house?

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

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

5. In Chapter 8, how long was the time period that Spenser was gone following breakfast?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. 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?

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

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

6. What do Paul Giacomin's feelings for his parents appear to be?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Paul Giacomin is at the heart of this story. He is the boy whose parents fight over him as if he were property; and the boy whom Spenser fights for in order to save his life. Explore Paul's character. Look through the text and use examples from it to support your ideas in relation to the kind of a person that Paul was before he met Spenser, and what kind of a person he was when he left Spenser to go to school.

Essay Topic 3

Spenser is not afraid to use physical force when he feels that it is necessary to accomplish his goal. However, he is very careful to use lethal force. Why do you think that is? Use specific examples from the text to support your answer.

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