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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 "Pearls," what does Sedaris say his mother would often call to read him over the phone?
(a) His horoscope.
(b) Obituaries.
(c) Wedding announcements.
(d) Job listings.

2. On page 238 of "Pussytoes," how does Sedaris say people refer to "a massively difficult person" once they get old?
(a) "A character."
(b) "Cantankerous."
(c) "A curmudgeon."
(d) "Crotchety."

3. In "Happy-Go-Lucky," what role does Sedaris say Hugh ends up playing when they visit Springmoor?
(a) Nurse.
(b) Secretary.
(c) Mediator.
(d) Servant.

4. In "Pearls," what does Amy's acupuncturist tell her is the source of her trauma?
(a) Her favorite snack cakes being discontinued.
(b) Seeing a mouse and a bug on the same day.
(c) Her iridologist's remarks about her eye color.
(d) Finding out that Gretchen named her cat "Amy."

5. In "Pussytoes," which sibling ends up making the bulk of the arrangements after Lou's death?
(a) Paul.
(b) Gretchen.
(c) Lisa.
(d) Amy.

Short Answer Questions

1. On page 247 of "Lucky-Go-Happy," what space does Sedaris say he thinks of as his "office"?

2. In "Pussytoes," what does Sedaris say he wants for his own casket, someday?

3. In "Fresh-Caught Haddock," what is Amy's implied motivation for wanting to take a trip to Emerald Isle?

4. In "Smile, Beautiful," what point is Sedaris trying to convey with the example of the woman whose face was injured by an animal bite?

5. In "Pearls," what does Sedaris call the "first step to divorce" (156)?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Lucky-Go-Happy," what rhetorical purpose unites Sedaris's choice to talk about varying face mask usage, fireworks stores, and gun sightings?

2. What is the rhetorical function of opening "The Vacuum" with the description of the supermarket near Sedaris's apartment?

3. In "Happy-Go-Lucky," what two examples does Sedaris give of his father's tendency to exaggerate?

4. In "Lady Marmalade," what reasons do the Sedaris siblings have for being skeptical of Tiffany's claims that Lou sexually abused her?

5. In "The Vacuum," what activities does Sedaris describe filling his days with while he is waiting until he can go out and walk at night?

6. In "A Better Place," what are Sedaris's practical objections to the idea that deceased loved ones look down on us from heaven?

7. In "A Better Place," what is the rhetorical purpose of describing Lou's grave site in such detail?

8. In "Fresh-Caught Haddock," what examples of his own unconscious racism does Sedaris give?

9. In "Lady Marmalade," what conclusion does Sedaris draw about Lou's motivations for his behavior toward his children's bodies?

10. When describing protests in "Fresh-Caught Haddock," what two examples of White participants' vandalism does Sedaris give, and how do Black bystanders react?

(see the answer keys)

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