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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. In "Season's Greetings", what television show does Khe Sahn learn most of her English from?

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

3. Why is the narrator of "After Malison" desperate to talk with Malison one-on-one?

4. What does Hugh require that the narrator do each time he smokes in "Diary of a Smoker"?

5. What does the narrator change his elf name to when he has bad days at work in "Santaland Diaries"?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How does the narrator deal with parents requesting to visit a Santa of a certain race in "Santaland Diaries"?

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

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

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

7. Who is Jamboree in "Jamboree"? How does the narrator feel about him?

8. Which elf duty is the narrator's least favorite in "Santaland Diaries"? Why does he feel this way?

9. Why is Jocelyn Dunbar suspected of murdering Don and framing Khe Sahn in "Season's Greetings..."?

10. Describe Marty Jr.'s appearance in "Jamboree".

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Imagine if one of the stories in this collection was missing from it. Choose one of the stories and "remove" it from the collection. Write an essay:

1) explaining the role that the story plays in the collection,

2) describing how the novel would be different without the story, and

3) comment on the quality of the book without the story: Would it be better or worse? Why?

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

Essay Topic 2

Look at the ordering of the stories in the collection and write an essay:

1) describing the progression of stories in the collection, and

2) explaining why you think the author chose to order the stories in this way.

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

Essay Topic 3

Popular culture plays a huge role in the stories in "Barrel Fever" Select three of the stories that feature popular culture and:

1) describe how the story uses popular culture,

2) discuss how the presence of popular culture in the story influences the reader's experience of the story, and

3) analyze why the author uses each example of popular culture in the story.

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

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 965 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample