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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 "The Vacuum," what does Sedaris say he has learned through experience never to do on the streets of New York?
(a) Stop and engage with people.
(b) Flash money or jewelry.
(c) Back down from an argument.
(d) Get distracted by his phone.

2. In "Pearls," how does Sedaris characterize the marital problems people faced in the 1970's and 1980's?
(a) Basic.
(b) Serious.
(c) Overblown.
(d) Inevitable.

3. In "Pearls," what does Sedaris say his mother would often call to read him over the phone?
(a) Job listings.
(b) Obituaries.
(c) Wedding announcements.
(d) His horoscope.

4. On page 238 of "Pussytoes," how does Sedaris say people refer to "a massively difficult person" once they get old?
(a) "Cantankerous."
(b) "A character."
(c) "Crotchety."
(d) "A curmudgeon."

5. In "A Better Place," what is Sedaris implying when he comments about the long lives of Dick Cheney, Henry Kissinger, and Rupert Murdoch?
(a) They are wealthy.
(b) They are very religious.
(c) They have worked hard.
(d) They are bad people.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "A Better Place," what is Sedaris's response to the idea that his father will always be with him?

2. In "Smile, Beautiful," what nation does Sedaris specifically mention as having more relaxed dental standards than the United States?

3. In "Lucky-Go-Happy," what nickname does Sedaris say he has given Hugh?

4. In "Happy-Go-Lucky," what is the subject of the Delacroix painting that hangs over Lou's bed?

5. In "Pearls," what does Sedaris tell the woman in Sussex about Hugh?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Pussytoes," what perspective shift does Sedaris use as he describes sitting at Lou's bedside, and what impact does this have on the reader?

2. What literal and figurative meanings does Sedaris convey with the title "Pearls"?

3. In "The Vacuum," what kind of language does Sedaris complain about people using to describe the pandemic, and what are some examples of this language?

4. In "Pussytoes," what happens when Sedaris calls Gretchen about their father's death?

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

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

7. In "The Vacuum," what activities does Sedaris describe filling his days with while he is waiting until he can go out and walk at night?

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

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

10. What sentiment does Sedaris close the essay "The Vacuum" with, and what example does he give?

(see the answer keys)

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