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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. Why does Augusten think the girl Jim is eying in Chapter 1 is not his type?

2. How many days a week does Rae recommend Augusten have therapy after leaving Proud Institute?

3. What gifts is Augusten given at his first Affirmations in Chapter 3?

4. Who is the first patient that Kavi introduces Augusten to in Chapter 3?

5. What immediate proof of Augusten's drinking problem does Elenor offer in Chapter 2?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Augusten's first interaction with Pighead.

2. How does Augusten become acclimated to Proud Institute in Chapter 3?

3. How do Hayden and Augusten find each other again in Chapter 6?

4. What does Augusten imagine Proud Institute to be as he rides there in Chapter 3?

5. How does Pighead deteriorate in Chapter 6?

6. Why does Augusten take a cab to rehab in Chapter 3?

7. What are the rules governing group?

8. How do Augusten and Pighead first meet?

9. Describe Pighead's relationship with Augusten.

10. Why does Augusten break down crying in Chapter 4?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay charting the progression of Augusten's relapse in Dry. What components of his life after Proud Institute make the possibility of relapse more likely? How does Augusten toy with the idea of taking a drink several times before actually doing it? What is the final straw? Discuss how Augusten's eventual relapse creates a far more volatile habit of consumption and accelerates his journey to bottom.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay on the topic of alienation from self in Dry. How has alcoholism rendered Augusten Burroughs unable to process his own emotional sphere? What steps does he take toward translating his feelings into self-awareness after rehab? Discuss how events involving work, Pighead, and Foster confound him, in part, because of his lack of self-awareness.

Essay Topic 3

Pighead begins Dry as an estranged friend of the protagonist and ends it as a guardian angel. Write an essay about Pighead's trajectory in the novel. How did he and Augusten first meet, and why are they estranged when Augusten goes into rehab? Discuss how their relationship develops as Pighead's health declines. Why is Pighead largely responsible both for AUgusten's relapse and decision to return to rehab?

(see the answer keys)

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