View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Chapter 14, Augusten gets drunk and reads what?

2. In Chapter 7, what does Augusten realize about his attraction to Foster?

3. Which of the following is not a positive event that happens midway through Chapter 9?

4. What items of clothing is Augusten embarrassed to buy in Chapter 8?

5. In Chapter 10, why does the Nazi prove a bad dinner conversationalist?

Short Essay Questions

1. What kind of peace do Pighead and Augusten reach in Chapter 8?

2. What is the fallout from Augusten's revelation about Foster at the end of Chapter 8?

3. Why does the beer account prove more difficult than Augusten expected?

4. How does Pighead look when Augusten sees him in Chapter 11?

5. Describe the commercial shoot in Chapter 10.

6. By Chapter 12, how has Augusten and Pighead's relationship changed?

7. What positive events happen to Augusten in Chapter 9?

8. What is Augusten's attitude toward his mother?

9. Describe Augusten and Pighead's interaction at the beginning of Chapter 7.

10. What do Wendy and Augusten discuss in Chapter 11?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Augusten struggle with alcoholism is also a window into the advertising world. The scenes that take place in his place of business illustrate the challenges anyone faces in the industry. Write a three-part essay about advertising in Dry:

Part 1) How does Augusten's drinking prove a problem in his and Greer's attempt to woo the Faberge clients? What duties does he shirk because of his constant intoxication? What eventually happens with the potential Faberge account?

Part 2) Discuss the Wirksam Beer account. What do the clients want from Greer and Augusten, and how does this request prove particularly difficult to complete? Describe the eventual ad campaign. How does Burroughs characterize the quality of this concept and execution?

Part 3) When Augusten returns to his advertising firm, he discovers someone is leaving threatening and incriminating items in his office. Discuss the nature of this harassment and Augusten's theories regarding it. What does this do to Augusten's sense of control and safety? What does it reveal about the industry in which he works?

Essay Topic 2

Augusten Burroughs' tenuous sobriety is tested by a series of hardships. From the moment he returns home, he must make choices about what he must change in his life. Write an essay about three parts of Augusten's life that prove particularly rife for temptation and how he deals with them.

Part 1) Discuss how Augusten's job in advertising is the reason he goes to rehab and how it continues to be a challenge for him after he returns. What accounts prove particularly tough for Augusten? What strange occurrences lead him to believe someone is trying to sabotage him? How does he deal with this?

Part 2) Why does Augusten have such difficulty letting Pighead into his life? Discuss what about Pighead makes him a risky acquaintance? What kind of support does Pighead give Augusten? What danger does he bring to the recovering addict?

Part 3) How is Augusten's relationship with Foster a complete violation of the rules of his recovery? What mutual danger do they bring to each other's life? Discuss how Foster's weakness hurts Augusten. What terrible kindness does he provide the protagonist after a friend's death?

Essay Topic 3

At the beginning of the novel, Augusten Burroughs is clearly an advertising prodigy. Write an essay in which you discuss how Augusten made his way in New York's advertising world. How old was he when he was hired, and what kind of early success did he have? Discuss how this image of a young prodigy was instrumental in his developing an unchecked addiction? How was someone like Greer an enabler in this respect?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,182 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample