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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In "A Speech to the Graduates," what advice is Sedaris defending with his example of a grandmother who gives a grandchild a graduation gift?
(a) People should treasure their families.
(b) People should take better care of their elders.
(c) People should write thank-you letters.
(d) People should be grateful for small gestures.

2. In "Highfalutin," what feature that he and Amy share embarrasses Sedaris at lunch?
(a) Sagging skin.
(b) Poor posture.
(c) Dental problems.
(d) Thinning hair.

3. In "Hurricane Season," how does Sedaris characterize the difference between his own anger and Hugh's?
(a) His anger is sarcastic; Hugh's anger is aggressive.
(b) His anger is justified; Hugh's anger is arbitrary.
(c) His anger is personal; Hugh's anger is generalized.
(d) His anger is fleeting; Hugh's anger is long-lasting.

4. Where is the farmhouse that Hugh owns in "Bruised"?
(a) Sussex.
(b) North Carolina.
(c) Chartres.
(d) Normandy.

5. In "A Speech to the Graduates," what reason does Sedaris offer for why the graduates should follow his advice?
(a) He wishes someone had told him these things when he was younger.
(b) He is a successful person.
(c) He has their best interests at heart.
(d) He can back up his advice with empirical evidence.

6. In "Highfalutin," whose poor behavior with service staff does Sedaris say inspired him to be extra warm and friendly?
(a) Sharon's.
(b) Lou's.
(c) Amy's.
(d) Hugh's.

7. When Sedaris and his sister go to the gun range, what does he learn about for the first time?
(a) Trigger locks.
(b) Gun purses.
(c) Gun hoarders.
(d) Gun safes.

8. What is ironic about Lisa turning out to be the better shooter?
(a) Their siblings placed bets on the outcome, and David was heavily favored.
(b) The instructor clearly believes that David will be the better shooter because he is male.
(c) David Sederis actually has more experience shooting than does his sister Lisa.
(d) David Sedaris is the one who wanted to go to the gun range, not Lisa.

9. In "Themes and Variations," what is Sedaris's tone as he discusses the excuses men give when they arrive in the ER with objects lodged in their rectums?
(a) Sympathetic.
(b) Disgusted.
(c) Sarcastic.
(d) Pitying.

10. What does the Bushmaster ad that Sedaris sees explicitly associate guns with?
(a) Safety.
(b) Freedom.
(c) Romance.
(d) Masculinity.

11. In "Themes and Variations," who helps Sedaris choose a person to give money to at the public library?
(a) A community college student.
(b) A mother and child.
(c) The reference librarian.
(d) The security guard.

12. Where is Sedaris in the opening of the essay "Unbuttoned"?
(a) A hospital in Paris.
(b) Springmoor.
(c) His father's old house.
(d) Sea Section.

13. In the beginning of "Unbuttoned," what has put Lou in the hospital?
(a) A series of strokes.
(b) Bladder cancer.
(c) Liver failure.
(d) Congestive heart failure.

14. In "Bruised," what does Sedaris criticize as lacking charm?
(a) Modern highways.
(b) Big cities.
(c) Hypermarkets.
(d) The English language.

15. In "Highfalutin," who are Lex and Germalina?
(a) They are nicknames that Sedaris and his siblings gave their parents.
(b) They are rabbits owned by Amy Sedaris.
(c) They are names Sedaris and his sister Amy used in a childhood game.
(d) They are characters in a play produced by the Talent Family.

Short Answer Questions

1. What name does the gun-safety instructor keep calling Sedaris?

2. In "Hurricane Season," what objection do Sedaris and his sister have to the name Hugh has chosen for the rental house?

3. What does Lisa think she knows more about than other people?

4. In "Highfalutin," how does Sedaris contrast Amy's perspective with his own?

5. In "To Serbia with Love," what smell does Sedaris complain is omnipresent during his travels in Eastern Europe?

(see the answer keys)

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