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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. In the Epilogue, Hank is on leave. What is this called for a professor?

2. Hank describes his father as leaving the family. What is one reason he left the family?

3. What have Hank and his wife taken to doing during his time off?

4. When Hank finally arrives home with his wife and father-in-law, what sad news does he learn?

5. When did Hank's father discover he couldn't lecture anymore?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What are Hank's Prologues to Book One and Two about, and where are they published? What is his mother's reaction to his writing?

3. What has happened to Hank's father and mother, according to the Epilogue?

4. Why was Hank's father offered such a desirable position?

5. How did Hank's father finally solve his problem? How does Hank assess this?

6. Where do the professors gather for a party for Tony? Why are they having a party for him?

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

8. 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?

9. After going to his own office and speaking to his secretary, Hank heads to the Dean's (Jacob Rose) office. What does Hank do there and what kind of response does he get?

10. How does Hank sneak out of the building after his time in the ceiling? Who does he meet and what ensues?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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 3

The setting refers to the time and the place where a story takes place. Compare and contrast the settings of "Straight Man" regarding time. How does it compare to the childhood he describes in the Epilogue to Book One? Cite at least three examples from the book where Russo discusses how the setting, in reference to time, has changed.

(see the answer keys)

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