The Last Lecture Quiz:
Answer Key
How well do you remember your summer reading?
I.
THE LAST LECTURE
1. What is the purpose of the “Last Lecture” tradition for college professors?
To offer reflections on their personal and professional journeys.
2. Even though she had always been his “cheerleader”, why did Professor Pausch’s
wife not want him to deliver a last lecture at the university?
He was dying of pancreatic cancer, and she wanted him to spend his time with
his family, not writing a speech.
3. Why did Jai finally give in and agree that Randy could give the Last Lecture at
Carnegie Mellon?
Randy decided to make the speech a legacy to his children.
4. The professor decided that he did not want the lecture to center on his pancreatic
cancer, but to center on what two things instead?
Living and what made him unique.
5. What did Randy Pausch decide made him unique?
That he had fulfilled his childhood dreams and goals.
6. When you think of a speech, words come to mind. What is unusual about the
“speech” that Randy Pausch prepared?
He had hundreds of pictures.
7. What is “The Elephant in the Room” that Randy Pausch introduces at the beginning
of his speech?
The fact that he had cancer and only months to live.
8. How does Randy demonstrate to his audience that right now he is still in relatively
good health?
He does push-ups.
9. Why did the Pausch family move from Pittsburgh to Virginia?
So that Jai and the children could be near her family after Randy died.
10. How did showing the CT scans and demonstrating his good health get Randy
Pausch’s speech off to a good start?
It helped release the anxiety the audience was feeling about his cancer.
II.
REALLY ACHIEVING YOUR CHILDHOOD DREAMS
11. Pausch’s parents did not lavish him with gifts, trips, or niceties of any kind, yet he
claims to have won the parent lottery. Why?
His family was inquisitive and always seeking knowledge and answers.
Answer Key
12. Randy Pausch’s father used to say, “Just because you are in the driver’s seat,
doesn’t mean you have to run people over.” Explain what he meant by that.
Even in a position of strength you have to be fair.
13. Randy’s mother’s appraisal of him as a child is that he was “alert”. Randy felt that
because she did not lavish him with praise, what did she do for him?
Kept him from being “cocky” or self-absorbed.
14. When he was in high school, what unusual thing did Randy’s parents allow him to
do to express himself?
Paint things that were meaningful to him on the walls of his room.
15. Name three meaningful things that a young Randy painted on his walls.
Quadratic equation, Pandora’s box, elevator, chess pieces, submarine, rocket,
Snow White’s mirror, etc.
16. How did Pausch make it possible for himself to experience zero gravity with his
Carnegie Mellon students when they won the plane ride at Johnson Space Center
after winning the project?
He resigned as their faculty advisor and signed on as their hometown
journalist promising to publicize.
17. What gift is it that Randy Pausch believed Coach Graham bestowed on his players?
The learning of fundamentals.
18. Pausch learned that if you are doing something poorly and no one is bothering to
tell you about it, that it means what?
They have given up on you.
19. What is a head fake---the IMPORTANT head fake?
It is when you are well into the process of learning something before you even
realize it.
20. Describe how Randy Pausch achieved his goal related to the World Book
Encyclopedia. Be specific.
He was asked to write the section on Virtual Reality.
21. What did he find disappointing about this achievement?
No one ever checked or questioned what he wrote.
22. Even though he was not the smartest on board the Starship Enterprise, what was
it about Captain Kirk that Pausch admired?
His leadership abilities.
23. Pausch learns about the willingness to take a chance in the face of the unknown
when one of his deans permits him to take a sabbatical to work where doing what?
At DisneyLand working as an Imagineer.
III. ADVENTURES…AND LESSONS LEARNED
Answer Key
24. After the Whipple operation, how does Randy discover that his cancer is
significantly worse and that he is going to die?
He looks at his medical tests on the computer while waiting for the doctor.
25. Randy is thankful for his “Dutch Uncle” Andy van Dam. According to Randy, what
is it that a Dutch Uncle does to help one succeed?
Care enough to tell one tough-love things one needs to hear.
26. Randy has asked what of his niece and nephew after he dies?
That they spend time with his children and tell them that he tried really hard
to stay alive.
27. What does Randy consider to be the biggest brick wall he ever encountered, and
who helped him overcome it?
Winning over his wife Jai--his parents helped.
28. What is the first serious problem that Jai and Randy tackle together to find that
they work well as a team?
The premature birth of their son, Dylan.
29. How does Randy’s father teach him a lesson of humility after his death?
He discovers a certificate stating that his father had won a bronze star when
he was 22 for caring for wounded soldiers during combat at great risk to
himself.
IV.
ENABLING THE DREAMS OF OTHERS
30. Give three examples of how Randy Pausch manages his time.
Stands while on the phone, makes “to do” lists, uses a speaker phone while
on hold, files in alphabetical order, has something to do in view while on the
phone, delegates responsibilities, etc.
31. Who does Randy give credit to for making him a “recovering jerk” so that he could
help his students become “recovering jerks”?
Andy van Dam
32. What is the “head fake” about Alice, the animation creation software that Pausch
helped create?
Students are actually learning computer programming.
V.
IT’S ABOUT HOW TO LIVE YOUR LIFE
33. How did Pausch almost miss man’s first walk on the moon? What saved the day so
that he was able to see it?
The camp directors made the campers go to bed because it was getting too
late. His father took a picture of the T.V. screen.
34. Why does Pausch prefer “earnest” over “hip”?
Answer Key
“Earnest” is long-term and comes from the core and “hip” is short-term and
just trying to impress.
35. What battle did Pausch and his mother engage in for years before he finally raised
the white flag?
She insisted on calling him Randolph.
36. Why does Randy admire Jackie Robinson? Be specific.
He knew he had to play better than white players, but did not complain, and
he endured great racism.
37. Give three examples of Randy’s tips to working successfully in a group.
Meet people properly, find things you have in common, try for optimal
meeting conditions, let everyone talk, check egos at the door, praise each
other, phrase alternatives as questions.
38. What is the important advice that Pausch wants to give his daughter Chloe?
Ignore everything men say and only pay attention to what they do.
39. Explain the meaning of the First Penguin award.
The first penguin to jump in might get eaten by predators, but someone has
to go first (take a chance and possible fail).
40. What does Randy mean by the Friday Night Solution?
It is a euphemism for hard work.
41. Explain why part three of a proper apology can be risky.
Some people may take advantage of offers about how to make things better.
42. What does Randy Pausch reveal about his academic career for the first time during
his Last Lecture?
That he was rejected when he applied to Carnegie Mellon.
43. Which Winnie the Pooh character did Pausch decided to emulate and why?
Tigger, because he is fun-loving and optimistic.
44. What advice did news anchor Diane Sawyer give to Pausch that he was so grateful
to receive?
To be sure to leave each of his children very specific memories of ways he
related to each of them.
VI.
FINAL REMARKS
45. In his research what does Randy Pausch discover is the most important thing that
helps children who lost parents at an early age?
How much the parent loved them.
Answer Key
46. Tell three things that Randy Pausch did to ensure that that his children will know
how much he loved them.
Lists of memories of each child, videos of him talking about each of them,
writing letters to each of them, leaving them a copy of the video of his Last
Lecture and the book The Last Lecture, and mail that he received.
47. What was the surprise that Randy arranged for Jai during his last lecture at
Carnegie Mellon?
He had a huge birthday cake and the audience sing Happy Birthday to her.
48. What was Jai’s response as she hugged Randy in thanks?
“Please don’t die.”
49. Randy was worried that he would not be able to speak the last lines of his lecture,
so what did do in case?
He placed them on slides to be viewed.
50. At the end he reveals the “second head fake” of his lecture. What is it?
That the lecture was not just for those in the room, but for his kids.