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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 "Happy-Go-Lucky," what is Sedaris relieved that his father does not remember accurately?
(a) The real circumstances under which he got the guitar.
(b) How much of their family's laughter was directed at him.
(c) Their mother's illness and death.
(d) The negative things Sedaris has written about him.

2. In "Happy-Go-Lucky," what reason does Lou give for the priest disliking him?
(a) He has not been to church in twenty years.
(b) He does not give enough money to the church.
(c) He uses language that the priest finds vulgar.
(d) He no longer believes in God.

3. In "Happy-Go-Lucky," what is Lou wearing when Sedaris, Amy, and Hugh go to visit him?
(a) A gold bracelet.
(b) A red bandana.
(c) A fishing hat.
(d) Running shoes.

4. In "Fresh-Caught Haddock," what does the young woman in Union Square try to give Sedaris?
(a) Spray paint.
(b) A bottle of water.
(c) A protest sign.
(d) A bandana.

5. In the opening of "Fresh-Caught Haddock," whose death does Sedaris mention?
(a) Duante Wright.
(b) Breonna Taylor.
(c) Andre Hill.
(d) George Floyd.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Lady Marmalade," what did Lou suggest Sedaris's childhood stomach pains were caused by?

2. What most bothers Sedaris about the phrases he discusses in "A Better Place" ?

3. In "Pussytoes," what does Amy claim women's bathrooms smell like?

4. In "Pearls," what does Sedaris say his mother would often call to read him over the phone?

5. In "Lucky-Go-Happy," why does the desk clerk at one hotel refuse to believe that the shirt Sedaris left behind belongs to him?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "A Better Place," what is Sedaris's response to the idea that his father "did his best" (193)?

2. In "Fresh-Caught Haddock," what does a Jewish acquaintance point out to Sedaris about his proposed solutions for Confederate monuments?

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

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

5. In "Smile, Beautiful," what does Sedaris share about the conditions under which he can be generous?

6. What is the rhetorical function of opening "The Vacuum" with the description of the supermarket near Sedaris's apartment?

7. In "Pearls," what does Sedaris theorize are the two main causes of relationship failures?

8. In "Lucky-Go-Happy," what rhetorical purpose unites Sedaris's choice to talk about varying face mask usage, fireworks stores, and gun sightings?

9. In "A Better Place," what is the rhetorical purpose of describing Lou's grave site in such detail?

10. In "Smile, Beautiful," how do Hugh and Amy react after Sedaris reveals his newly corrected teeth?

(see the answer keys)

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