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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 "Lucky-Go-Happy," what does Sedaris find disappointing about his Zoom event?
(a) He develops a migraine from focusing on the screen.
(b) He finds the technology alienating and unreliable.
(c) He is distracted by seeing video of himself talking.
(d) He misses the live audience feedback.

2. In "Lady Marmalade," what did Lou suggest Sedaris's childhood stomach pains were caused by?
(a) A desire to get out of school.
(b) A desire for attention.
(c) Their mother's cooking.
(d) Hemorrhoids.

3. In "Lucky-Go-Happy," what nickname does Sedaris say he has given Hugh?
(a) Congressman Prude.
(b) Reverend Gentility.
(c) Admiral Anguish.
(d) Viscount Fussybritches.

4. In "A Better Place," what does Sedaris envy about the group at the table across the room?
(a) No one is trying to make conversation.
(b) They seem to be laughing a lot.
(c) They are all drinking wine.
(d) Their food has been delivered sooner.

5. In "Fresh-Caught Haddock," what objection does Sedaris raise to one of the protest chants?
(a) He dislikes equating a sexual act with punishment.
(b) He worries that protesters are courting violence from the police.
(c) He does not believe in public swearing.
(d) He thinks it is too long and complicated to be practical.

Short Answer Questions

1. On page 247 of "Lucky-Go-Happy," what space does Sedaris say he thinks of as his "office"?

2. In "Happy-Go-Lucky," what role does Sedaris say Hugh ends up playing when they visit Springmoor?

3. In "A Better Place," what objection does Sedaris make to people saying that his father did his best?

4. In "Pussytoes," what does Lou tell the president of Princeton University?

5. On page 151 of "The Vacuum," what phrase does Sedaris say he resents having survived the pandemic?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Fresh-Caught Haddock," what examples of his own unconscious racism does Sedaris give?

2. In "A Better Place," what are Sedaris's practical objections to the idea that deceased loved ones look down on us from heaven?

3. In "Happy-Go-Lucky," what is the rhetorical function of Sedaris's comment that his father used to watch at lot of Fox News?

4. In "Lady Marmalade," what anecdote does Sedaris share about his father's photography and his sister Lisa?

5. When describing protests in "Fresh-Caught Haddock," what two examples of White participants' vandalism does Sedaris give, and how do Black bystanders react?

6. In "Happy-Go-Lucky," why does Sedaris think that his father is losing his hearing?

7. In "Lucky-Go-Happy," what does Sedaris say about using Hugh as a test audience for his writing?

8. In "Pussytoes," what is Sedaris's reaction to his father's "Little Black Book"?

9. In "Smile, Beautiful," what two reasons does Sedaris mention for his surprise when the man on the street tells the woman to smile?

10. In "Lady Marmalade," what conclusion does Sedaris draw about Lou's motivations for his behavior toward his children's bodies?

(see the answer keys)

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