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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 "To Serbia with Love," what nationality does Sedaris say is blamed for much of the crime in Europe?

2. In "Father Time," what does Sedaris say he was primarily interested in when he was Austen's and Harrison's age?

3. In "A Speech to the Graduates," what item does Sedaris tells students to not bother buying unless they can afford one of two specific brands?

4. In "A Speech to the Graduates," what is the purpose of the charity that Sedaris mentions working with?

5. In "Unbuttoned," what does Sedaris take away from the story about Russ Baker's mother?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Highfalutin," how does Sedaris describe Amy's writing and acting?

2. In "Father Time," what does Sedaris tell Harrison and Austen about whom they should try to be more like, and why?

3. In "Unbuttoned," how does Sedaris contrast his feelings about his own medical procedure with his father's behavior?

4. 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?

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

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

7. In "A Speech to the Graduates," what does Sedaris say frustrates him about talking to parents whose children want to be writers?

8. In "Unbuttoned," what irony does Sedaris recognize when Gretchen asks him to write Lou's obituary?

9. 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?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does the structure of "Active Shooter" contribute to the essay's tone and meaning? Write an essay in which you consider how Sedaris manipulates the flow of time to create emphasis, to develop his argument, and to create juxtapositions with differing tones. Develop your analysis with clear reasoning and supportive detail from the essay itself.

Essay Topic 2

Sedaris has given several interviews offering advice about how to write humorous essays. Go online and find one of the articles where he offers such advice. Then, write an essay in which you summarize the advice he gives and apply it to one of the essays in this collection (any essay except "Smile, Beautiful"). Do all of the pieces of advice seem to apply to your chosen essay? Which ones are deployed most effectively in this essay? Why are they so effective? Consider questions like these as you explicate the humor in the essay and compare it to the advice Sedaris gives in the article you have chosen. Offer both quoted and paraphrased evidence from both the article and the essay in support of your observations, and cite all sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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