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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," what singer does Sedaris tell a joke about?
(a) Willie Nelson.
(b) Waylon Jennings.
(c) Hank Williams.
(d) Merle Haggard.

2. Where did Sedaris once unexpectedly find a gun?
(a) In a medicine cabinet.
(b) In a pantry.
(c) Under a bed.
(d) In a desk drawer.

3. In "To Serbia with Love," what irritates Sedaris about his driver in Lisbon?
(a) He keeps stopping to describe historical and cultural attractions.
(b) He refuses to keep his eyes on the road when he is talking.
(c) His English is too fractured to understand.
(d) His lack of map reading skills gets them lost several times.

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

5. In "Highfalutin," what does Amy describe cutting up while under the influence of psychedelics?
(a) Scripts.
(b) Bills.
(c) Carpet.
(d) Clothing.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Themes and Variations," what two topics does Sedaris note seem to overlap in many jokes?

2. In "Father Time," what does Sedaris say was the hardest part of Lou's hospitalization for the siblings?

3. In "Father Time," what does Sedaris say he was primarily interested in when he was Austen's and Harrison's age?

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

5. What do Sedaris and his sister agree the gun range would be an ideal location for?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Father Time," how does Sedaris contrast his attentiveness to his father with that of his siblings?

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

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

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

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

6. 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?

7. 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?

8. In "Highfalutin," how does Sedaris say his adult experience in front of cameras reflects his role in the childhood game he played with Amy?

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 "Active Shooter," what contrast does Sedaris see between the drills he recalls in his own elementary school and the ones being practiced today?

(see the answer keys)

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