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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 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 seal.
(c) A giraffe.
(d) A dog.

2. In "Lady Marmalade," what does Sedaris say about Lou's physical aggression towards him and his siblings?
(a) It scarred each of the siblings in different ways.
(b) Lou's aggression was mostly verbal and very seldom physical.
(c) Sedaris would want to be allowed to act the same way toward his own children.
(d) Physical abuse is wrong, regardless of the context.

3. In "Pearls," what does Sedaris call the "first step to divorce" (156)?
(a) A lack of shared interests.
(b) Counseling.
(c) Separate bedrooms.
(d) Silence.

4. In "The Vacuum," what does Sedaris say is the only thing he was able to successfully hoard?
(a) Licorice Allsorts.
(b) Designer hand sanitizers.
(c) Ground water buffalo.
(d) One-ply toilet paper.

5. In "Pearls," what does Amy's acupuncturist tell her is the source of her trauma?
(a) Finding out that Gretchen named her cat "Amy."
(b) Her favorite snack cakes being discontinued.
(c) Her iridologist's remarks about her eye color.
(d) Seeing a mouse and a bug on the same day.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "A Better Place," what does Sedaris envy about the group at the table across the room?

2. In "The Vacuum," what task does Sedaris find himself performing for other shoppers?

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

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

5. On page 194 of "A Better Place," what does Sedaris object to someone saying to describe Prince dying?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Happy-Go-Lucky," what two examples does Sedaris give of his father's tendency to exaggerate?

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

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

5. In "Pearls," how does the purchase of the second apartment illustrate one of Sedaris's main ideas about successful relationships?

6. 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?

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

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

9. 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?

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

(see the answer keys)

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