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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 "Pussytoes," what does Lou tell the president of Princeton University?
(a) He finds it hard to believe the graduates will know who Sedaris is.
(b) Amy is a better speaker than Sedaris.
(c) Gretchen is a better artist than Sedaris.
(d) There is no way Sedaris could have gotten into Princeton.

2. In "Lady Marmalade," what is the name of the reform school that Tiffany was sent to?
(a) The Élan School.
(b) Running Springs School.
(c) Provo Canyon School.
(d) The Oakley School.

3. In "Fresh-Caught Haddock," what does Sedaris metaphorically compare the BLM protests to?
(a) The tentacles of a squid.
(b) Hurricane Florence.
(c) A high-school pep rally.
(d) Public transportation.

4. In "Lady Marmalade," what does Sedaris recall doing to Tiffany when he was about ten and she was about four years old?
(a) Feeding her a worm.
(b) Hiding her stuffed rabbit.
(c) Poking her with pins.
(d) Threatening to choke her.

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

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 "Happy-Go-Lucky," what is Lou wearing when Sedaris, Amy, and Hugh go to visit him?

3. Where does the title of the essay "Lady Marmalade" come from?

4. In "Pearls," what instrument does Hugh take up?

5. In "Lady Marmalade," what did Lou want to show the family when he unbuttoned Lisa's shirt at dinner?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. In "Lucky-Go-Happy," what does Sedaris start asking all of the teenagers at his readings, and what is his reaction to the responses he gets?

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

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

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

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

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

10. 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?

(see the answer keys)

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