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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. What is Hank's wife's name?

2. Who is the goose named after?

3. What is Rachel's position at the college?

4. What did Hank's mother want him to do in exchange for allowing him to have a dog?

5. What breed was the dog that Hank's father brought home for him?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

2. In the Prologue, how does Hank explain that his life was not easy as a child?

3. When Hank gets home from the staff meeting, who is he greeted by? What does Hank find amusing about Teddy's reaction?

4. 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?

5. Hank goes to see Dickie Pope. Who is Pope and what nickname does the staff give to his office? What does Hank do in his office? What does Pope hint to Hank?

6. The morning after his news debut, Hank realizes the film has been shown on Good Morning, America, much to everyone's amusement. Hank heads to see Campbell Wheemer. What is Hank's nickname for Wheemer? Why does he call him that? How is Wheemer a contrast to Hank?

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

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

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

10. What events transpired after the dog arrived at the Devereaux home?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Conflict is a common element of writing, in both fiction and nonfiction. Why is conflict so often used in narratives? How can it help add interest to a narrative? Give four examples where conflict in "Straight Man" occurs and how the examples helps explain the dynamics of one week in the life of Hank Devereaux. Include and identify at least one of each type of conflict that occurs in the novel.

Essay Topic 2

What role does the Devereaux family play in the novel "Straight Man"? Are they as important to the narrative as the author and the environment he is in? Give four examples where the four different members of the family are central to the story-telling. Give four examples where the narrative is focused only on Hank and the environment he works in.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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