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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 "Highfalutin," what is Sedaris insulted at being mistaken for?
(a) A dentist.
(b) An architect.
(c) A real estate agent.
(d) A sales clerk.

2. In "Themes and Variations," what location does Sedaris immediately think of when he is looking for a place to give away the first $50?
(a) Subway.
(b) McDonald's.
(c) The bus station.
(d) A public park.

3. What does Lisa think she knows more about than other people?
(a) How to defend herself.
(b) How to care for animals.
(c) How to drive a car.
(d) How to run a classroom.

4. In "Highfalutin," what does Sedaris ultimately decide his idea of perfect happiness is?
(a) Sitting on the deck of Sea Section with Hugh, watching the ocean.
(b) Taking a long bath at a great hotel before giving a reading.
(c) Eating ice cream while watching a documentary about Jim Jones.
(d) Shopping and laughing with his sister Amy.

5. In "Hurricane Season," what comment does Sedaris make about the names of hurricanes?
(a) They should include traditionally male names.
(b) They are too old-fashioned.
(c) They should include names with diverse ethnic origins.
(d) They are too innocent-sounding.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Hurricane Season," where does Sedaris get the idea for the name he wants to call the rental house?

2. Which word best captures Sedaris's depiction of Eastern European decor in "To Serbia with Love"?

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

4. In the beginning of "Unbuttoned," what has put Lou in the hospital?

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

3. In "Active Shooter," what is the rhetorical purpose of the anecdote about Lisa believing a story she read in The Onion?

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

5. In "Themes and Variations," what experience does Sedaris say shaped his desire to interact warmly with his fans?

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

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

8. In "Hurricane Season," how does the example of the neighbor's "shocking" outdoor shower undermine the point Sedaris has just made about renters?

9. In "Highfalutin," what two things does Amy do while she and Sedaris are shopping that he finds funny but also mortifying?

10. In "Active Shooter," how is Lisa's concern about what she saw at Starbucks used as the basis for a joke later in the essay?

(see the answer keys)

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