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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 does Hank do when he positions himself over the room where the meeting is?

2. How does Hank describe a professor's inability to lecture?

3. Why does Hank not go directly home the morning after his night in jail?

4. In the Epilogue, what is the outcome for Hank's father-in-law?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Russell goes along to the party for Tony, and tries to get Tony's computer to work, without success. While this is going on, a large group of the professors get stuck in the room, and cannot seem to be able to figure out how to get out. What is Hank's observation on this?

3. What is Lily doing now? What project had Jacob Rose submitted that Lily and Hank got a grant for?

4. When Hank gets to his office the morning the goose is found hanging in the tree,, what emotional state is his secretary in? Why is this?

5. 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?

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

7. What deal did Hank's father accept after the "dog incident" that Hank related in his first article? According to his son, what made this a very attractive offer for William Henry Devereaux, Sr.?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Hank relate the anecdote about his childhood dog so that it blends the adult Hank and the young Hank? If "the child is the father of the man", what was it about Hank's childhood that contributed to how the adult Hank views the world?

Essay Topic 2

Humor is an element of memoir writing that is often employed by authors. Why is it used? How can it enhance a novel? What two types of humor does Russo use in "Straight Man"? Give four examples of Richard Russo's use of humor where you feel the pace and the theme of Straight Man has been enhanced by its use.

Essay Topic 3

Hank seems to suppress anger during most the novel, but at times his anger and frustration do surface. Cite three examples of Hank's anger, and what transpires as a result.

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