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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is ironic about Lisa turning out to be the better shooter?

2. In "Bruised," about how many people live in the village where the farmhouse is located?

3. In "Themes and Variations," how does Sedaris meet Mary?

4. How is the term "highfalutin" introduced into the essay "Highfalutin"?

5. In "Bruised," what word does Sedaris keep repeating as he tries to fend off Olivier's advances?

Short Essay Questions

1. What decision did Lou make about his will that upset Sedaris, and why was it so upsetting?

2. In "Active Shooter," what is the rhetorical purpose of the anecdote about Lisa believing a story she read in The Onion?

3. In "A Speech to the Graduates," how does Sedaris describe his own college experience?

4. In "Highfalutin," how does Sedaris say his adult experience in front of cameras reflects his role in the childhood game he played with Amy?

5. In "Themes and Variations," what kinds of people does Sedaris resist giving money to?

6. In "Hurricane Season," what type of art does Hugh hang in the rental house, and how does Sedaris characterize a recent tenant's reaction to this art?

7. In "Bruised," how does Sedaris feel his identity is flattened by his lack of French language skills?

8. In "Bruised," what "secret" does Sedaris believe Olivier has discovered, and why does he guess that Olivier is struggling to accept his new knowledge?

9. In "Highfalutin," what two things does Amy do while she and Sedaris are shopping that he finds funny but also mortifying?

10. In "Themes and Variations," what experience does Sedaris say shaped his desire to interact warmly with his fans?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In "A Speech to the Graduates," Sedaris explicitly offers advice to younger people. But this is not the only place in Happy-Go-Lucky where he offers advice in one form or another. Choose one of the pieces of advice from "A Speech to the Graduates" and show how this advice is echoed in other essays in the collection. You might show how Sedaris enacts this advice in his own life, how he offers this advice to readers through editorializing, and/or how he explicitly offers this advice to other people he interacts with. As you choose which piece of advice to trace through the collection, be mindful not to interpret the advice too narrowly. For instance, in "A Speech to the Graduates," Sedaris offers advice about scented candles--but of course, what he is saying at a deeper level is to consider yourself worthy of an investment in quality items and experiences.

Essay Topic 2

Early in studying this anthology, you considered how Sedaris's writing might affect his boyfriend, Hugh Hamrick, and how it might impact the reputation of his father and his siblings' feelings about their father. Now that you have read Sedaris's essay about his sister Tiffany's suicide, think back to the standards you personally believe a writer should follow in prioritizing their art versus the privacy and feelings of others. Do some online research into the controversy surrounding Sedaris's treatment of Tiffany's suicide, and develop an opinion about whether his discussions of her in Happy-Go-Lucky meet or violate your standards. Write an essay that analyzes the ethics of the essay "Lady Marmalade" and of other mentions of Tiffany throughout Happy-Go-Lucky. Draw your evidence from both Sedaris's writing and from online sources discussing others' reception of his remarks about his sister. Cite all sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

In "Happy-Go-Lucky," Sedaris reflects on how his father has changed over time and how he, too, might change as a result of his father's death. This essay gives the entire anthology its name--does it unite the anthology in another sense, as well? What other essays in this collection show how Sedaris has changed over time? What hopes does he seem to have for how he might continue to grow and change? Write an essay that makes and defends a claim about how the idea of personal growth and change permeates this collection. Your essay should not simply point to places where this motif occurs but should make observations about its meaning--what, specifically, does Sedaris seek to convey about his own identity and its change through time? Support your assertions with evidence drawn from throughout the collection.

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