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| Name: _________________________ | Period: ___________________ |
This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. In "Fresh-Caught Haddock," what does Bermey say caused him to lose sympathy for the Black Lives Matter movement?
2. In "Smile, Beautiful," how long does Sedaris have to wear his braces?
3. In the beginning of "Fresh-Caught Haddock," where are Sedaris, Amy, and Hugh as they listen to the sounds of the protest?
4. In "Pearls," how does Sedaris characterize the marital problems people faced in the 1970's and 1980's?
5. In "Lucky-Go-Happy," what nickname does Sedaris say he has given Hugh?
Short Essay Questions
1. In "Pearls," how does the purchase of the second apartment illustrate one of Sedaris's main ideas about successful relationships?
2. In "Pussytoes," what happens when Sedaris calls Gretchen about their father's death?
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 "Lady Marmalade," what anecdote does Sedaris share about his father's photography and his sister Lisa?
5. In "Pearls," what does Sedaris theorize are the two main causes of relationship failures?
6. In "Pussytoes," what is Sedaris's reaction to his father's "Little Black Book"?
7. In "Smile, Beautiful," how do Hugh and Amy react after Sedaris reveals his newly corrected teeth?
8. 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?
9. In "Lucky-Go-Happy," what rhetorical purpose unites Sedaris's choice to talk about varying face mask usage, fireworks stores, and gun sightings?
10. In "Lucky-Go-Happy," what does Sedaris say about using Hugh as a test audience for his writing?
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
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.
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This section contains 1,045 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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