View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the only reason Stoner won't leave Edith?

2. What kind of reaction does Katherine give Stoner after giving her presentation in his class?

3. What do Stoner and Katherine begin at the end of Chapter XII?

4. Where do Stoner and Katherine go for their only trip away together?

5. Whose schedule is made so that Stoner never sees them in Chapter XI?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does William's teaching schedule change after Lomax is appointed chair of the English department?

2. How do William and Katherine begin their love affair with one another?

3. How does Edith's social life change after her father's death?

4. How does William react when Finch asks him if he wanted to be the new head of the English department?

5. How does Charles Walker react when William threatens to fail him from his seminar?

6. What is the nature of William's conversation with Lomax when he tries to mend their relationship over the Charles Walker situation?

7. How is William and Katherine's week away in the Ozarks described?

8. How does William's relationship with Edith change after he begins having an affair with Katherine?

9. How is William and Katherine's affair described at the beginning of Chapter XIII?

10. How does Lomax react after William refuses to pass Charles Walker?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the concept of confrontation presented in the book. How does William attempt to confront others in the book like Charles Walker and Edith and are these confrontations successful for him? What is telling of William's nature based on his tendency to not confront others despite being unhappy with certain situations?

Essay Topic 2

The theme of love is one rooted deep within the stories of the book's characters. Part 1.) How might this book be considered a love story? Part 2.) Compare and contrast William's relationship with Katherine to his relationship with Edith. What lessons does William learn about love through his relationships with these women? Part 3.) Discuss William's love for knowledge and learning and argue whether or not this is his true love in life, namely examining how he compares his love for others to it.

Essay Topic 3

The theme of death is one that is portrayed through many characters in the book including David Masters, Archer Sloane, and eventually William Stoner. Considering the evolution of death through these three characters, what might the author be saying about the nature of death and its impact on others?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 753 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample