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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. In "Themes and Variations," how does Sedaris meet Mary?
(a) She is a taxi driver.
(b) She owns a bookstore.
(c) She is his media escort.
(d) She is a front desk clerk.

2. In "A Speech to the Graduates," what is Sedaris's purpose in mentioning Gretchen's program of study and Amy's work at Second City?
(a) They demonstrate that gifted artists generally succeed quickly.
(b) They illustrate his point that the post-college years can be the best years of a person's life.
(c) They are examples of artistic career choices that contrast with safer career choices.
(d) They are a warning about the instability of non-traditional career choices.

3. What family event are the Sedarises anticipating when Lou first falls and has to be hospitalized?
(a) Lisa and Bob's fortieth wedding anniversary.
(b) Lou's 95th birthday.
(c) A family vacation to the seaside.
(d) Gretchen's retirement party.

4. In "Unbuttoned," what do the Sedaris siblings see out the window at Lou's house?
(a) A lightning strike.
(b) A drone.
(c) A doe.
(d) A naked woman.

5. In "Bruised," what word does Sedaris keep repeating as he tries to fend off Olivier's advances?
(a) Unhappy.
(b) Grandmother.
(c) Grown-up.
(d) Bruise.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "To Serbia with Love," what is one of the main things that Sedaris explicitly says Westerners have that people from Eastern Europe lack?

2. In "Highfalutin," what does Amy describe cutting up while under the influence of psychedelics?

3. In "Hurricane Season," what does Sedaris recall Hugh yelling at Lisa for one Christmas in Sussex?

4. In "Bruised," what aspect of his identity makes Sedaris afraid that people will not believe him if Olivier tells lies about his behavior?

5. Who ends up cleaning most of Lou's blood up after the clock falls on him?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. In "Bruised," what anecdote does Sedaris tell about a neighbor woman he knew when he was a child?

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

4. In "Highfalutin," how does Sedaris describe Amy's writing and acting?

5. In "To Serbia with Love," how does Sedaris describe the flea markets that he and Patsy visit in Eastern Europe?

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

7. In "Active Shooter," what is the rhetorical purpose of the anecdote about Lisa believing a story she read in The Onion?

8. In "Active Shooter," how does Lisa explain to the instructor and to Sedaris her desire to take a gun-safety course?

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

10. In "Father Time," how does Sedaris contrast his attentiveness to his father with that of his siblings?

(see the answer keys)

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