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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. According to the narrator, what type of adults most often visit Santa in "Santaland Diaries"?
2. Where did Malison grow up in "After Malison"?
3. What does Khe Sahn wear to Thanksgiving dinner in "Season's Greetings..."?
4. Who is the narrator of "Barrel Fever"?
5. What role did Sleighbell, the elf play on "One Life to Live" in "Santaland Diaries"?
Short Essay Questions
1. How does the narrator of "Diary of A Smoker" feel about smoking?
2. Who is Trudy Chase in "Barrel Fever"? How does the narrator react to a phone call from Trudy?
3. What do IV and PCD stand for in "Barrel Fever"? What is the significance of these acronyms for the narrator?
4. Describe the experience of visiting the oldest Santa in "Santaland Diaries".
5. How does Jocelyn feel about her daughter's marriage to Timothy Speaks in "Season's Greetings..."? How does this compare to her feelings about her grandson, Don?
6. 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?
7. What disgusts the narrator of "After Malison" the most during his master's writing seminar?
8. Describe Khe Sahn's arrival at the Dunbar home in "Season's Greetings to Our Friends and Family".
9. Describe Kyle Dunbar in "Season's Greetings to Our Family and Friends".
10. Which elf duty is the narrator's least favorite in "Santaland Diaries"? Why does he feel this way?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Through the stories in "Barrel Fever", David Sedaris demonstrates what he believes humor is. Drawing on evidence from the stories:
1) define "humor" from Sedaris' point of view, and
2) discuss how he shows his readers what he believes is funny through his stories.
Be sure to use evidence from the stories to support your ideas.
Essay Topic 2
In many of the stories in "Barrel Fever", Sedaris satirizes popular culture. Select 2 of the stories in which the author uses satire and:
1) describe the ways in which satire is used in the stories,
2) compare and contrast the use of satire in each story, and
3) discuss the impact of satire on the reader's experience of the stories.
Be sure to use evidence from the stories to support your ideas.
Essay Topic 3
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.
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This section contains 1,073 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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