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

2. In "Smile, Beautiful," what finally inspires Sedaris to get his teeth fixed?
(a) The pain he begins to feel when chewing.
(b) Hugh's gentle encouragement and Amy's open teasing.
(c) The experience of wearing a mask in the pandemic.
(d) The story that the thrift store clerk tells him.

3. 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) Poking her with pins.
(c) Hiding her stuffed rabbit.
(d) Threatening to choke her.

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

5. In the beginning of "Fresh-Caught Haddock," where are Sedaris, Amy, and Hugh as they listen to the sounds of the protest?
(a) In a restaurant bordering Central Park.
(b) In the kitchen of one of Amy's apartments.
(c) In an upscale boutique on Fifth Avenue.
(d) On the terrace of one of Hugh and Sedaris's apartments.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. In "Lady Marmalade," what new role does Lou take on once all of his children have moved out?

3. In "Pussytoes," where is Sedaris when he gets the news about his father's death?

4. In "A Better Place," what specific rhetorical technique does Sedaris complain about?

5. In the opening of "Fresh-Caught Haddock," whose death does Sedaris mention?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. In "Happy-Go-Lucky," what do the changes in Lou suggest to Sedaris might be true in his own life?

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

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

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

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

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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