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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. In "Bruised," what does Sedaris criticize as lacking charm?

2. In "Highfalutin," who are Lex and Germalina?

3. In "Hurricane Season," where does Sedaris get the idea for the name he wants to call the rental house?

4. Where is Sedaris in the opening of the essay "Unbuttoned"?

5. What do Harrison and Austen prefer to spend their time doing?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "To Serbia with Love," how does Sedaris describe the flea markets that he and Patsy visit in Eastern Europe?

2. In "Active Shooter," how is Lisa's concern about what she saw at Starbucks used as the basis for a joke later in the essay?

3. In "A Speech to the Graduates," what anecdote does Sedaris tell about the woman at the book-signing event, and what is this anecdote's rhetorical function?

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

5. In "Bruised," what anecdote does Sedaris tell about a neighbor woman he knew when he was a child?

6. In "Hurricane Season," what contrast does Sedaris explore between his reception of Hugh's criticisms of his family and his family's criticisms of Hugh?

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

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

9. In "Father Time," how does Sedaris contrast his attentiveness to his father with that of his siblings?

10. Describe the condition of Lou's house when the Sedaris siblings go to start clearing it out In "Unbuttoned."

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does the title "Themes and Variations" suit both the explicit and implicit content of the essay? Write an essay in which you explore how "Themes and Variations" is both a summary of the essay's content related to Sedaris's interactions with his audience and a nod to the essay's ability to deliver both overt and covert themes. Use evidence from the text itself to support your interpretation of the essay's explicit and implicit content, and give clear reasoning to connect the essay's title to both kinds of content.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay that explores the irony of Sedaris's comments about American tourists in Paris in "To Serbia with Love." Consider his beliefs about Paris and why it bothers him that Americans fail to appreciate the city on its own terms. Think about his travels with Patsy and the ways in which he uses these as fodder to entertain Western readers. Finally, reread his brief commentary about Western privilege at the end of the essay and consider how his essay illustrates a kind of blindness that results from Western privilege. Are there non-material forms of "poverty" that can arise from living in conditions of relative material wealth? Support your arguments with both quoted and paraphrased evidence from throughout the essay.

Essay Topic 3

What is the meaning behind the anthology's title? Consider the content of the essay of the same name and how it relates to other essays in the collection. Consider how the title sums up a larger idea in this collection--earnestly or ironically. Also think about the reversed title in the essay's final collection. What is the point of reversing this title, and how does this choice add to your understanding of Sedaris's choice of Happy-Go-Lucky for the entire collection? Write an essay that makes and defends a claim about Sedaris's choice of title for this anthology of essays. Support your assertions with evidence drawn from throughout the collection.

(see the answer keys)

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