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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. After returning to his office and hearing about his phone call, Hank decides he must deal with the issue. Who stops him on the way out?

2. Who is the goose named after?

3. After meeting with Dickie Pope, Hank goes to see Bodie Pie. What is her position at the college?

4. Hank decides he has to leave his racquetball partner's house and go home. What physical problem is Hank experiencing as he heads home?

5. After meeting Meg in the cafeteria, Hank has lunch in a bowling alley with Jacob Rose. Who is Jacob?

Short Essay Questions

1. Hank's news item is aired on television and he becomes something of a local hero to his colleagues. What is the first place Hank goes to that night? What is bothering him?

2. The evening after Teddy drops Hank off at home, what does Hank decide to do? Where does he end up and what is the result of this?

3. Why is Hank under pressure from his department colleagues at the beginning of the book? What does this result in at a staff meeting?

4. After visiting the duck pond, Hank heads to the cafeteria. Who does he meet there? What is Hank's history with this person? What do they talk about?

5. What does Hank say in the Prologue about his father's life after the arrival of the dog? What does he say about his relationship with his father?

6. After visiting with Mr. Purty and then his mother, Hank plays racquetball with another professor, Tony Coniglia. What happens after their game?

7. Who does Hank meet at the local bowling alley for lunch? What do they talk about?

8. What kinds of thoughts does Wheemer generate in Hank?

9. What did Hank's mother make Hank promise to do if he got a dog? Why?

10. When Hank gets back to his office, after meeting with Bodie, what does he tell his secretary? What does Rachel tell him and what does Hank do about this?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Dialogue often serves to reveal characters and their traits, as well as events. It is often used as an alternative to exposition. How is dialogue used as a literary technique to move a narrative along, and specifically how is it utilized in Straight Man? Cite, in detail, one example of how dialogue is used effectively in the novel.

Essay Topic 2

How are Hank's father and mother characterized in the Prologue? As the novel progresses, how does their relationship with Hank follow the same patterns as it did when he was a child?

Essay Topic 3

How does the narrative of the Prologue in Book One explain Hank's relationship with his parents? Cite three examples from the Prologue that tells the reader something about the dynamics of the Devereaux family.

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