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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 "Unbuttoned," what does Sedaris notice on the floor of his father's house?
(a) A pool of blood.
(b) Feces.
(c) A cat skeleton.
(d) A dead mouse.

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

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

4. What comedian also named "David" do the nurses confuse Sedaris with in "Father Time"?
(a) Spade.
(b) Cross.
(c) Chappelle.
(d) Letterman.

5. In "A Speech to the Graduates," what is Sedaris's purpose in mentioning the speaker at his own graduation?
(a) He hopes to impress his audience with his own experiences.
(b) He intends to charm his audience with his humility.
(c) He means to contrast his own speech with that speaker's remarks.
(d) He is introducing a theme he will expand on in his own remarks.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Highfalutin," what does Sedaris ultimately decide his idea of perfect happiness is?

2. What is Hugh and Sedaris's house on Emerald Isle called?

3. In "Unbuttoned," which of Sedaris's siblings says that Lou is their best friend?

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

5. In "Hurricane Season," what do Hugh and Sedaris discover about Sea Section's second-floor ceilings?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Themes and Variations," what kinds of people does Sedaris resist giving money to?

2. In "To Serbia with Love," what does Milos say was better about Yugoslavia under Tito than today's Serbia?

3. In "To Serbia with Love," how does Sedaris describe the flea markets that he and Patsy visit in Eastern Europe?

4. In "Hurricane Season," what contrast does Sedaris explore between his reception of Hugh's criticisms of his family and his family's criticisms of Hugh?

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

6. What decision did Lou make about his will that upset Sedaris, and why was it so upsetting?

7. In "To Serbia with Love," what criticism does Sedaris level against the American tourists Patsy deals with in Paris?

8. In "Father Time," what does Sedaris tell Harrison and Austen about whom they should try to be more like, and why?

9. 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?

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

(see the answer keys)

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