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 does Henry remember smoking in the barn?

2. Who is Elaine?

3. Where does Henry decide to travel to with his dog?

4. What illness does Henry's dog have?

5. Who does Henry think of as he nears Albuquerque?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Henry do after Elaine leaves?

2. Who is Roggoway, and what is Henry's interaction with him?

3. When and why does Henry begin hitchhiking?

4. Describe Henry's visit with Bildad.

5. What is Henry's dog's name, and what is its symbolism?

6. Describe Henry's housewarming party.

7. Describe Henry's relationships at the beginning of the novel.

8. What is Henry's relationship with the landscape?

9. What is Henry's routine for his road trip?

10. Who is Red Ginter and what role does he play in Henry Lightcap's childhood?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is Henry Lightcap's best relationship in 'Fool's Progress', and what makes it dearest to him? What relation does this relationship have with his other relationships?

Essay Topic 2

In what way is Joe's desire to be buried with his relatives a measure of Henry's life? In what ways is it insufficient as a measure of the value of a person's life, to be buried with relatives? What is proposed instead, as a measure of value?

Essay Topic 3

Henry and Elaine argue about Elaine not having orgasms. If orgasms are not the goal of Henry's treatment of women, what is? What fulfillments does he offer a woman? What does he offer instead of orgasms?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 733 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample