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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. Why does the narrator of "Firestone" give a woman on the bus his sneakers?

2. In "We Get Along", what does the narrator's mother do the night after her husband's funeral?

3. Which of the following is NOT something Sandy convinces the narrator's mother to do in "We Get Along"?

4. Why is it unusual for the narrator of "Firestone" to be working at a car service station?

5. In "My Manuscript", who does Chad assume led his father to believe Chad is gay?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the narrator's imaginary nightclub act in "Music for Lovers".

2. Describe Chad's father's childhood in "My Manuscript".

3. Describe The Sportsman in "We Get Along".

4. What perplexes Carlton about the narrator's unwillingness to correct his vision loss in "Firestone"?

5. In "Don's Story", why does Don say that many people are watching his speech "with rage and jealousy"?

6. What specific directions does the narrator of "The Last You'll Hear From Me" give Eileen for the dress she is to wear to the funeral?

7. How is Don's success in "Don's Story" ironic?

8. Describe the "kid from down the block", who brings Dawn records in "Music from Lovers", from the narrator's perspective.

9. Describe the narrator's experience with the woman on the bus in "Firestone".

10. What is the genre of "Don's Story"? How is it a "spoof" on an actual piece in this genre?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One of the themes in the collection of short stories "Barrel Fever" is that of reality versus fantasy. Select three of the stories dealing with this theme and:

1) explain what the story says about reality and fantasy, and

2) demonstrate how the theme is developed in the story.

Then explain what you think Sedaris' overall commentary on reality vs. fantasy is in the novel as a whole.

Be sure to use specific examples from the stories to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 2

Two of Sedaris' stories in "Barrel Fever" ("The Last You'll Hear From Me" and "Don's Story") are written as speeches. In your essay,

1) discuss how speeches are typically used by people,

2) discuss how Sedaris uses the genre of speech in each of these stories, and

3) analyze the statement the author is trying to make about the genre of speech.

Be sure to use evidence from the stories to support your ideas.

Essay Topic 3

Each of the stories in "Barrel Fever" has its own unique narrator. Select 4 of the stories and:

1) describe the narrator of each story,

2) discuss the role the narrator plays in the story, and

3) examine the ways the narrator influences how the reader experiences the story.

Be sure to use evidence from the stories to support your ideas.

(see the answer keys)

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