The Housekeeper and the Professor

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

CHAPTERS 1-3

Reading Check

1. Why does the Professor call the housekeeper’s son Root?

2. According to the Professor’s sister-in-law (the widow), how many minutes of memory does the Professor have?

3. What role do numbers have in the Professor’s conversations?

4. What does the Housekeeper note that the Professor is always doing?

5. Who were the Professor’s only friends growing up?

6. What is the Professor’s answer to the Housekeeper’s question of what he studied at university?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Summarize the housekeeper’s interactions with the Professor’s sister-in-law. Under what conditions do they meet? What information does the sister-in-law share with the housekeeper, and what is her demeanor?

2. Describe the Professor’s appearance. What oddity does the Housekeeper note on the Professor’s clothing?

3. What is the mathematical meaning of the term “amicable numbers”? How does the Professor correlate this term to his relationship with the Housekeeper?

4. How does the Professor react when he learns that the Housekeeper has a son? What does he instruct her to do?

5. Describe the Professor’s relationship with Root.