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

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

3. What is Snowball, the elf known for in "Santaland Diaries"?
(a) Flirting with the other elves and the Santas
(b) Being overly perky with the customers
(c) Flooding the locker room bathroom
(d) Getting undressed in the middle of the locker room

4. In "Season's Greetings", what television show does Khe Sahn learn most of her English from?
(a) American Idol
(b) One Life to Live
(c) MTV Cribs
(d) Sesame Street

5. What is the author's opinion of his mother's housekeeper's skills in "The Curly Kind"?
(a) He believes she is a lazy, incompetent housekeeper.
(b) He believes she spends too much time vacuuming.
(c) He believes she is the most skilled housekeeper he has ever seen.
(d) He is ambivalent towards her.

Short Answer Questions

1. What reason does the narrator of "After Malison" give for smoking in the hotel lobby?

2. What does Khe Sahn wear to Thanksgiving dinner in "Season's Greetings..."?

3. What does Malison name each of the characters in his second novel in "After Malison"?

4. What does the narrator order at the hotel bar in "After Malison"?

5. Why does the boy in the elevator refuse the Cheetos in "The Curly Kind"?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe "the Walrus" in "Santaland Diaries".

2. Describe the narrator's elf costume in "Santaland Diaries".

3. What does the narrator do to Marty's motorcycle in "Jamboree"? Who does Marty believe is responsible for the damages?

4. Describe Kyle Dunbar in "Season's Greetings to Our Family and Friends".

5. What do IV and PCD stand for in "Barrel Fever"? What is the significance of these acronyms for the narrator?

6. What story does Sedaris tell the little boy Riley when he throws a temper tantrum in "Santaland Diaries"?

7. How does the author feel about adults who dress in costumes for their jobs in "Santaland Diaries"? How does he believe he will be different if he is hired as one of Santa's elves?

8. How does the narrator of "Barrel Fever" feel about the word "nice"? Why does he feel this way?

9. What does the narrator's mother give him before she dies in "Barrel Fever"? Why does she give him this gift?

10. What theme joins the four scenarios in "The Curly Kind"?

(see the answer keys)

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