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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. In "Unbuttoned," what item of Sedaris's does he find in his father's room at Springmoor?

2. In "Highfalutin," what feature that he and Amy share embarrasses Sedaris at lunch?

3. In "Bruised," about how many people live in the village where the farmhouse is located?

4. How does Sedaris feel when Harrison tells him that he has never heard of Sedaris's books?

5. What does the Blue Mountain School District give its students to fight off an armed gunman?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. In "To Serbia with Love," what does Milos say was better about Yugoslavia under Tito than today's Serbia?

4. In "Hurricane Season," how does the example of the neighbor's "shocking" outdoor shower undermine the point Sedaris has just made about renters?

5. What decision did Lou make about his will that upset Sedaris, and why was it so upsetting?

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

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

8. In "Hurricane Season," how does Sedaris depict Hugh's attention to detail as a benefit of their relationship?

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

10. In "Father Time," what does Sedaris tell Harrison and Austen about whom they should try to be more like, and why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In "A Speech to the Graduates," Sedaris explicitly offers advice to younger people. But this is not the only place in Happy-Go-Lucky where he offers advice in one form or another. Choose one of the pieces of advice from "A Speech to the Graduates" and show how this advice is echoed in other essays in the collection. You might show how Sedaris enacts this advice in his own life, how he offers this advice to readers through editorializing, and/or how he explicitly offers this advice to other people he interacts with. As you choose which piece of advice to trace through the collection, be mindful not to interpret the advice too narrowly. For instance, in "A Speech to the Graduates," Sedaris offers advice about scented candles--but of course, what he is saying at a deeper level is to consider yourself worthy of an investment in quality items and experiences.

Essay Topic 2

You have given some thought to what kinds of structural and focal choices are effective in conveying serious social ideas in a brief format like Sedaris's essays. But do these rules hold true when the subject matter is more personal or more lighthearted? Choose one of the essays from this collection that is about a topic that is either personal to Sedaris--such as one of the essays about his father or Hugh--or that is generally less serious--such as one of the essays about Amy or Sedaris's own failings. Write an essay that analyzes the structure and focus of the essay and then evaluates whether these choices are effective, and why. Support your assertions with evidence drawn from throughout the essay.

Essay Topic 3

How does the title "Themes and Variations" suit both the explicit and implicit content of the essay? Write an essay in which you explore how "Themes and Variations" is both a summary of the essay's content related to Sedaris's interactions with his audience and a nod to the essay's ability to deliver both overt and covert themes. Use evidence from the text itself to support your interpretation of the essay's explicit and implicit content, and give clear reasoning to connect the essay's title to both kinds of content.

(see the answer keys)

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