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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who ends up cleaning most of Lou's blood up after the clock falls on him?
(a) Bob.
(b) Lisa.
(c) Kathy.
(d) Hugh.

2. In "Bruised," what does Sedaris criticize as lacking charm?
(a) Big cities.
(b) Hypermarkets.
(c) The English language.
(d) Modern highways.

3. In "Highfalutin," what does Sedaris say is the "saddest development in New York" in the last few decades (82)?
(a) The increase in homelessness.
(b) The cleanup of the Time Square area.
(c) The decrease in tourism.
(d) The advent of online retail.

4. In "A Speech to the Graduates," what reason does Sedaris offer for why the graduates should follow his advice?
(a) He can back up his advice with empirical evidence.
(b) He has their best interests at heart.
(c) He is a successful person.
(d) He wishes someone had told him these things when he was younger.

5. In "A Speech to the Graduates," what does Sedaris mention having purchased at Sotheby's?
(a) A Picasso painting.
(b) A first-edition copy of Tom Sawyer.
(c) A Piguet watch.
(d) A Ming-Dynasty vase.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Unbuttoned," which of Sedaris's siblings says that Lou is their best friend?

2. In "To Serbia with Love," what nationality is Milos?

3. In "Bruised," what concern does Sedaris raise with Hugh about Olivier's aggressive behavior?

4. In "Highfalutin," what does Sedaris ultimately decide his idea of perfect happiness is?

5. In "Hurricane Season," what motivates Hugh to lock Gretchen and Sedaris out of the house?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Unbuttoned," what irony does Sedaris recognize when Gretchen asks him to write Lou's obituary?

2. In "Unbuttoned," how does Sedaris contrast his feelings about his own medical procedure with his father's behavior?

3. In "Themes and Variations," what kinds of people does Sedaris resist giving money to?

4. In "Hurricane Season," what contrast does Sedaris explore between his reception of Hugh's criticisms of his family and his family's criticisms of Hugh?

5. In "Bruised," how does Sedaris feel his identity is flattened by his lack of French language skills?

6. In "Highfalutin," what two things does Amy do while she and Sedaris are shopping that he finds funny but also mortifying?

7. In "Active Shooter," what contrast does Sedaris see between the drills he recalls in his own elementary school and the ones being practiced today?

8. In "Themes and Variations," what experience does Sedaris say shaped his desire to interact warmly with his fans?

9. In "Themes and Variations," what does Sedaris discover about women, and how does he discover it?

10. In "Hurricane Season," what type of art does Hugh hang in the rental house, and how does Sedaris characterize a recent tenant's reaction to this art?

(see the answer keys)

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