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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. What religion does Alexander follow?

2. Whose picture does Spenser look at in his office?

3. With whom does Susan say she empathizes?

4. What part of Washington does Spenser walk around in this section?

5. For whom does Nolan think Spenser is working?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Spenser so sad at the end of the section?

2. What does Spenser do before he meets Cosgrove?

3. What does Spenser pick up from watching the videotape?

4. What does Alexander say he plans to do if he can't find a way out of the blackmail?

5. What does Meade talk about at the University of Lowell?

6. How is Spenser and Cosgrove's friendship mutually beneficial?

7. How do Susan and Spenser complement each other?

8. What does Cosgrove tell Spenser about Alexander and his political team?

9. How does Spenser act when he meets the Alexanders?

10. How does Spenser make the break-in look like a random burglary?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare Spenser's character to the person he was at the beginning of the book to the one he is at the end.

1. What did Spenser hope to achieve at the beginning of the book?

2. What events changes Spenser ideas about life?

3. How has Spenser's character changed by the end of the book?

Essay Topic 2

Examine the author's writing style. How would you describe the author's prose style? What kind of vocabulary does he use? What meaning does the author's style give to the story?

Essay Topic 3

What are the main turning points of the book? How does Parker develop his story to get to each turning point? What happens to the story after a major turning point?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 750 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample