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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. What does PIghead write to Augusten on a Post-it note in Chapter 11?

2. In Chapter 14, why is Augusten amazed by the crack addicts he meets?

3. What item in Chapter 8 does Augusten think Rick has placed in his office?

4. What is Augusten's reaction to smoking crack in Chapter 13?

5. What does Augusten discover in his office in Chapter 9?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does the beer account prove more difficult than Augusten expected?

2. By Chapter 12, how has Augusten and Pighead's relationship changed?

3. What kind of peace do Pighead and Augusten reach in Chapter 8?

4. To whom does Augusten confide about Foster in Chapter 9?

5. Describe the commercial shoot in Chapter 10.

6. Why is dinner with the Nazi in Chapter 10 nearly unbearable for Augusten?

7. What does Augusten realize about Foster in Chapter 7?

8. What do Wendy and Augusten discuss in Chapter 11?

9. What is Augusten's attitude toward his mother?

10. What is the fallout from Augusten's revelation about Foster at the end of Chapter 8?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about the character of Greer, and how she emerges as a dynamic figure in Dry. Discuss how Augusten Burroughs initially portrays her. What components of her personality and appearance does he openly mock? Why does he resent her during his drinking days? Discuss how the awkwardness after his release from Proud Institute transforms into a deep friendship in which both parties grow to respect each other.

Essay Topic 2

Augusten Burroughs' tenuous sobriety is tested by a series of hardships. From the moment he returns home, he must make choices about what he must change in his life. Write an essay about three parts of Augusten's life that prove particularly rife for temptation and how he deals with them.

Part 1) Discuss how Augusten's job in advertising is the reason he goes to rehab and how it continues to be a challenge for him after he returns. What accounts prove particularly tough for Augusten? What strange occurrences lead him to believe someone is trying to sabotage him? How does he deal with this?

Part 2) Why does Augusten have such difficulty letting Pighead into his life? Discuss what about Pighead makes him a risky acquaintance? What kind of support does Pighead give Augusten? What danger does he bring to the recovering addict?

Part 3) How is Augusten's relationship with Foster a complete violation of the rules of his recovery? What mutual danger do they bring to each other's life? Discuss how Foster's weakness hurts Augusten. What terrible kindness does he provide the protagonist after a friend's death?

Essay Topic 3

Dry presents a series of portraits of addiction, not only that of the protagonist. In a three-part essay, discuss three other characters whose addictions are dealt with in detail in the narrative. What is the nature of each character's addiction? How does the abuse destroy his life in some regard? What kind of success does this person find in rehab and therapy?

Part 1) Brian (Dr. Valium)

Part 2) Hayden

Part 3) Foster

(see the answer keys)

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