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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Sedaris deals with his new fear of speaking French by
(a) Speaking only Enlish.
(b) Writing down all his comments.
(c) Forcing himself to join in conversations.
(d) Pretending to be deaf.

2. When Hugh's father was late picking him up from the movies, he discovered
(a) The theatre had only folding chairs and a sheet for a screen.
(b) A man killing a pig with a shotgun.
(c) A new film about a talking Volkswagen.
(d) A dead man hanging from a telephone pole.

3. In this essay, Sedaris' itineraries revolve around
(a) Tourist traps.
(b) Restaurants.
(c) Historical sites.
(d) Movie showings.

4. Sedaris confesses his own fear is that
(a) His self-worth is based on how many facts he can memorize.
(b) His self-worth is determined by the reference books.
(c) His self-worth is reflected by his ex-boyfriend's indifference.
(d) His self-worth is based on completion of the puzzles.

5. Instead of listening to French language tapes, Sedaris listens to
(a) American books on tape.
(b) Old rock and roll tape.
(c) French text books on tape.
(d) Children's books on tape.

6. What is the most difficult part of learning French for Sedaris?
(a) Memorizing which nouns are masculine and feminine.
(b) Memorizing plural forms of nouns.
(c) Conjugating verbs.
(d) Memorizing nouns.

7. When men are injured by the vachettes, Sedaris
(a) Cries out and has to leave the arena.
(b) Is overcome with joy.
(c) Laughs aloud.
(d) Cries out and grabs his neighbors.

8. Which of the following is not an unusual word Sedaris learned in French?
(a) Lobotomy.
(b) Slaughterhouse.
(c) Exorcism.
(d) Bottleneck.

9. Sedaris notes that American businesses ask consumers to conserve water and napkins, but not
(a) Expensive items.
(b) The services or products consumers pay for.
(c) Items that can be re-used.
(d) The services or products that are complimentary.

10. Why are the students in Sedaris' French class intimidated by the teacher?
(a) The teacher is sarcastic and ridicules the students.
(b) The teacher refuses to speak French until lthe students speak it perfectly.
(c) The teacher will not allow the students to speak aloud in class.
(d) The teacher claims to believe all the students are stupid.

11. Why does Sedaris feel ashamed about his inability to speak proper French?
(a) A friend told him that French is easy if one pays attention in class.
(b) A friend told him that French is the easiest language to learn.
(c) A friend told him that French children learn English easily.
(d) A friend told him that French children never struggle with the sex of their nouns.

12. Sedaris is considered a celebrity by French teenagers because
(a) He knows many celebrities.
(b) He is a published author.
(c) He is from New York City.
(d) He owns a glamorous home.

13. Thanks to his sister, Amy, Sedaris learns
(a) Medical terms in French.
(b) The score to Phantom of the Opera.
(c) Literary terms in French.
(d) The score to Madame Butterfly.

14. Sedaris finds the assignation of gender difficult because
(a) It is so similiar in the English language.
(b) It seems like he is using too many words.
(c) It seems vulgar to him.
(d) It seems random to him.

15. Why has Sedaris' conscience been bothering him?
(a) He watched a girl die at a Paris street fair.
(b) He tried to take pictures of an accident at a Paris street fair.
(c) He was morbidly fascinated by the possible death of a girl at a Paris fair.
(d) He was morbidly fascinated by the possible death of a carnival worker.

Short Answer Questions

1. Unlike Sedaris' childhood fieldtrips to historic villages, Hugh's school took him to visit

2. According to Sedaris, what did Hugh gain from his difficult experiences?

3. When Sedaris watches American movies in Paris, he

4. How does Sedaris solve his problem naming masculine and feminine nouns in public?

5. Sedaris insists that Hugh take the IQ test with him

(see the answer keys)

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