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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 kind of work does the protagonist spend most of his childhood dedicated to?

2. What is the name of the child Edith has?

3. What does Stoner insist Edith do after they are married that seems to open her up?

4. What is the name of the ship that sinks and causes America to join the war?

5. How are the protagonist's grades described when he first starts college?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do William's parents react when he tells them his plans to obtain a PhD in English?

2. Why does William's father want him to study agriculture in college?

3. How is William's first meeting with Edith's parents described?

4. How is Hollis Lomax first described in the book?

5. How is William's experience in his first English class described?

6. How is William and Lomax's conversation described at William's housewarming party?

7. Describe Edith's outburst during dinner with Finch and his fiancée in Chapter V.

8. How is William and Edith's first night together as a married couple described?

9. How does William react after being offered a teaching job at the University of Missouri?

10. Why does talk of WWI not penetrate William as it did other students when it begins?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the author's portrayal of marriage in the book. What does William wish to get out of being married despite showing little passion for anything besides his education? Does he feel it's just a duty he must fulfill to fit in or does he truly find love in Edith?

Essay Topic 2

Examine the concept of teaching that is portrayed in the book through characters like Archer Sloane and William Stoner. How do these characters' teaching styles evolve over the course of the book and what motivates these changes?

Essay Topic 3

The theme of family is one presented several times throughout the book. Part 1.) What kind of relationship did William have with his parents and what impact did this relationship have on his actions later in life? Part 2.) How is Edith's view of family flawed due to her experiences with her family growing up? Part 3.) Considering William and Edith's family lives, how does their creation of their own family appear somewhat ironic and why is this significant?

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