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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 finds the technology alienating and unreliable.
(b) He develops a migraine from focusing on the screen.
(c) He misses the live audience feedback.
(d) He is distracted by seeing video of himself talking.

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

3. In "Lucky-Go-Happy," when is Sedaris finally able to go back to touring?
(a) Fall of 2020.
(b) Fall of 2021.
(c) Spring of 2021.
(d) Spring of 2022.

4. In the anecdote Sedaris tells about the woman with the facial injury in "Smile, Beautiful," what was the women bitten by?
(a) A mountain lion.
(b) A giraffe.
(c) A dog.
(d) A seal.

5. In "Smile, Beautiful," what example of prejudice related to the appearance of his teeth does Sedaris give?
(a) People often make unsolicited comments about his teeth when he is out walking in New York.
(b) Magazine photographers generally ask him to keep his mouth closed during publicity shoots.
(c) Other patrons sometimes move tables in restaurants so that they are not sitting where they can see him eating.
(d) Employees in upscale hotels and boutiques do not seem to think he is wealthy enough to be a patron.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Pearls," what does Amy's acupuncturist tell her is the source of her trauma?

2. In "A Better Place," what feature of the restaurant does Sedaris repeatedly complain about?

3. In "Pussytoes," which sibling ends up making the bulk of the arrangements after Lou's death?

4. In "Lucky-Go-Happy," what does Sedaris see on the floor at Charlotte Douglas International Airport?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. In "Pussytoes," what disagreement do the siblings have about the photo of Lou to use with his obituary?

6. 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?

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

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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