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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In "Themes and Variations," which person that he encounters during his tour does Sedaris say might be the only one who really "sees" him?
(a) The man picking up cigarette butts to smoke.
(b) The man from the group home who takes the cigarettes he offers.
(c) The McDonald's employee at the airport.
(d) The community college student in the library.

2. In "Father Time," what does Sedaris say is "unbearable" in children (26)?
(a) Sulking.
(b) Apathy.
(c) Whining.
(d) Insolence.

3. In "To Serbia with Love," what smell does Sedaris complain is omnipresent during his travels in Eastern Europe?
(a) Animal manure.
(b) Burning coal.
(c) Garbage.
(d) Cigarette smoke.

4. How does Sedaris feel when Harrison tells him that he has never heard of Sedaris's books?
(a) Hurt.
(b) Indignant.
(c) Amused.
(d) Superior.

5. In "Hurricane Season," what motivates Hugh to lock Gretchen and Sedaris out of the house?
(a) They tease Hugh about the name of the rental house.
(b) They agree with a renter about the dilapidated condition of some chairs.
(c) They imitate the pinching motions of crabs, implying that Hugh is being unreasonable.
(d) They tell him that they think the fish is overcooked.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "To Serbia with Love," what nationality does Sedaris say is blamed for much of the crime in Europe?

2. In "Highfalutin," to what does Sedaris attribute Hugh agreeing to paint Amy's new apartment?

3. In "Hurricane Season," what information does Gretchen habitually irritate Sedaris with?

4. In "Bruised," about how many people live in the village where the farmhouse is located?

5. How is the term "highfalutin" introduced into the essay "Highfalutin"?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Unbuttoned," what irony does Sedaris recognize when Gretchen asks him to write Lou's obituary?

2. In "Active Shooter," how does Lisa explain to the instructor and to Sedaris her desire to take a gun-safety course?

3. In "A Speech to the Graduates," how does Sedaris describe his own college experience?

4. In "A Speech to the Graduates," what anecdote does Sedaris tell about the woman at the book-signing event, and what is this anecdote's rhetorical function?

5. In "Bruised," how does Sedaris feel his identity is flattened by his lack of French language skills?

6. Describe the condition of Lou's house when the Sedaris siblings go to start clearing it out In "Unbuttoned."

7. In "A Speech to the Graduates," what does Sedaris say frustrates him about talking to parents whose children want to be writers?

8. In "Father Time," how does Sedaris's description of Mayview connect the essay's motif of the inevitable march of time with his concerns about fatherhood?

9. In "Bruised," what "secret" does Sedaris believe Olivier has discovered, and why does he guess that Olivier is struggling to accept his new knowledge?

10. In "Highfalutin," how does Sedaris describe Amy's writing and acting?

(see the answer keys)

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