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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Where does Marty park his motorcycle in "Jamboree"?
(a) At his father-in-law's house
(b) In the garage
(c) In the baby's nursery
(d) In his bedroom

2. What does the author pretend he has won in "The Curly Kind"?
(a) Emmy awards
(b) A Nobel Prize
(c) An Academy Award
(d) The lottery

3. Who is the narrator of "Barrel Fever"?
(a) Dolph
(b) Gill Pullen
(c) Hope
(d) Dolph's mother

4. Who does Sedaris impersonate singing "Away in the Manger" while working with Santa Santa in "Santaland Diaries"?
(a) Billie Holiday
(b) Bob Hope
(c) Etta James
(d) Santa Santa

5. Why does the narrator of "Diary of a Smoker" schedule a doctor's appointment?
(a) He wants cosmetic surgery.
(b) He is having health issues.
(c) He wants to quit smoking.
(d) His insurance is about to expire.

6. Why did Vicki quit chorus during her sophomore year of high school in "Jamboree"?
(a) Her brother talked her out of enrolling in chorus.
(b) She decided to take Art instead.
(c) The music teacher told her she had no talent.
(d) She hated her music teacher.

7. What is the last sight visitors see before going into Santa's house in "Santaland Diaries"?
(a) The Sportswear Department
(b) The Magic Tree
(c) The maze
(d) The China Department

8. How does Malison react when he discovers the master's writing class is reading O'Flannery in "After Malison"?
(a) With admiration
(b) With condescension
(c) With confusion
(d) With disgust

9. What does Malison name each of the characters in his second novel in "After Malison"?
(a) Smithy Smithy
(b) Malison
(c) A. Davenport
(d) Professor Nobody

10. Why is the narrator of "Jamboree" staying with his sister?
(a) He cannot afford to rent his own apartment.
(b) He is looking for a new apartment.
(c) His father threw him out.
(d) He is protecting his sister.

11. Which of the following words/phrases is NOT part of Khe Sahn's vocabulary according to Jocelyn in "Season's Greetings..."?
(a) Thank you
(b) Daddy
(c) Five dollar
(d) Shiny

12. Which of the following is NOT a behavior exhibited by parents in the photo area in "Santaland Diaries"?
(a) Grooming of their children
(b) Ordering their children where to look during pictures
(c) Yelling at their children
(d) Posing their children for pictures

13. Who did the narrator of "Jamboree" believe would want to "cash in" on his sister's success?
(a) Their mother
(b) Their father
(c) His brother-in-law
(d) Their step-mother

14. Why does the narrator of "After Malison" agree to let the old man sit at her table at the hotel bar?
(a) She believes he is Malison.
(b) She wants to study him for a piece of writing she is working on.
(c) She feels sorry for him.
(d) She wants to get him to buy her a drink.

15. Which of the following was NOT in the file drawer labeled "POISON" in "Barrel Fever"?
(a) New Year's resolutions written on index cards
(b) Cruel letters from Dolph to his mother
(c) Mean letters to the narrator and his siblings
(d) Adolph Hitler's book

Short Answer Questions

1. Who does Vicki end up marrying in "Jamboree"?

2. What excuse does Malison give to Bethany for not going out for a drink with her in "After Malison"?

3. Why does the narrator drop out of school in "Jamboree"?

4. Why does Marty have Vicki's cat put to sleep in "Jamboree"?

5. According to the narrator, what type of adults most often visit Santa in "Santaland Diaries"?

(see the answer keys)

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