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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. Hank is covered in urine and knows he can't be seen in public. What makes him hide in his office ceiling?

2. Who replaces Hank as chair of the English department?

3. Which university was William Henry Devereaux offered a position at, after he left his family?

4. Who does Hank sell one of the lots next to his house to?

5. What can Hank tell from from the lights in his hiding place in the ceiling?

Short Essay Questions

1. After Hank leaves his doctor's office, what are the series of events that ensue that involve his mother?

2. After Hank's calls from Lou and Teddy, Hank heads to campus but stops at the diner first. Who does he meet there and what does this individual tell Hank?

3. What is the status of Hank and Lily's daughters? What are they doing?

4. What does Mr. Purty tell Hank about his father? What is Hank's reaction?

5. What happens after Tony and Hank leave the restaurant? Where do they both end up?

6. Hank heads to campus after Lou and Teddy's calls, and on his way passes his daughter Julie's house. He starts to think about his wife's call. What did she tell him about her father? How does Hank feel about his father-in-law?

7. What happens while Hank is up in the office building ceiling?

8. How did Devereaux Sr. attempt to cope with his problem?

9. The morning after Hank and Tony end up in the same place, what does Hank find when he heads home? What does he do instead? What does he find out?

10. What happened to Devereaux Sr. not long after arriving at his new post?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Tone refers to the attitude of the narrator of a work. As the narrator of "Straight Man", what is the author's tone at different stages of the book? Explain the tone, with examples:

1) In the Prologue of Book One.

2) When he grabs Finny the Goose by the neck and holds him up for the television camera.

3) When he catches his son-in-law with Meg Quigley.

4) In the Epilogue.

Essay Topic 2

For the better part of the novel, Hank seems to be suffering what is popularly known as mid-life crisis. What actions and reactions of Hank's show that he might be having a crisis of identity? Explain where this crisis of identity might arise from.

Essay Topic 3

Cite four examples for both exposition and rising action from the novel. What is the balance of these two elements in Straight Man? Is there too much of one at the expense of the other? If so, describe the balance of the two.

(see the answer keys)

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