View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Amy Sedaris is fond of

2. What prompts Sedaris to find a job in New York?

3. What finally convinces Sedaris that the computer might be interesting or enjoyable?

4. Sedaris suggests his brother is radically different from his other siblings because

5. What passion does Sedaris' father attempt to share with his children?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Sedaris' tone in relation to his own artistic talents.

2. What does Amy Sedaris do to torture her father over Christmas vacation?

3. What is Sedaris' attitude toward the wealthy at the start of the essay?

4. Why does Sedaris claim to prefer the belief that his television is inhabited by tiny humans over a scientific explanation of its workings?

5. How has Sedaris' mother explained bodily functions?

6. Why does Sedaris seem to object so strongly to his speech therapy sessions?

7. Why does Sedaris believe his his parents are so lenient with Melina, the Great Dane?

8. Why doesn't Sedaris plan any activities for his writing class beyond the first introductions?

9. What are the main differences between Sedaris and his father outlined in the chapter?

10. Why does Sedaris believe there are no "normal" restaurants left in his neighborhood?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Consider the motifs of trauma and tragedy in Sedaris' essays. Write an essay of your own in which you reflect on the effect of trauma and tragedy on Sedaris or other characters. Use examples from the text to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 2

Consider the quote, ""Genius has limitations; stupidity is boundless." Write an essay in which you defend, refute, or qualify the previous statement, using Sedaris' musings on his own limitations as support for your argument.

Essay Topic 3

In what ways do we see the the motif of self-discovery explored in Sedaris' essays? Choose three examples from the text in which Sedaris arrives at some form of self-discovery, and write an essay in which you determine how he has arrived at these moments.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 770 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample