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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 "Fresh-Caught Haddock," what does Sedaris metaphorically compare the BLM protests to?

2. In "Fresh-Caught Haddock," what concern does Sedaris express about the looting in New York?

3. In "Smile, Beautiful," how long does Sedaris have to wear his braces?

4. In "Lady Marmalade," what does Sedaris imply that Tiffany stole from her siblings?

5. In "Fresh-Caught Haddock," what objection does Sedaris raise to one of the protest chants?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Pussytoes," what disagreement do the siblings have about the photo of Lou to use with his obituary?

2. In "The Vacuum," what activities does Sedaris describe filling his days with while he is waiting until he can go out and walk at night?

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 "Smile, Beautiful," what two reasons does Sedaris mention for his surprise when the man on the street tells the woman to smile?

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

6. 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?

7. In "Pussytoes," what happens when Sedaris calls Gretchen about their father's death?

8. In "Smile, Beautiful," what does Sedaris share about the conditions under which he can be generous?

9. What sentiment does Sedaris close the essay "The Vacuum" with, and what example does he give?

10. In "A Better Place," what is the rhetorical purpose of describing Lou's grave site in such detail?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

The ideas expressed in "Bruises" are motifs that run throughout much of the collection Happy-Go-Lucky. Choose three to five essays from the collection and show how they support the idea that bruising experiences can limit a person's full expression of themselves. This idea does not have to be the main point an essay is making in order for you to include the essay in your discussion, but it should be clearly presented enough that you can draw more than one example or quote from each essay you choose.

Essay Topic 3

After reading "Highfaluntin," you considered how Sedaris attempts to dispute his sister Tiffany's charge that he and Amy are pretentious. Certainly, Sedaris lives a life of privilege. But is this the same as being pretentious? Consider the collection as a whole as you develop a claim about how Sedaris's narrative voice and the details he chooses to include in his essays argue for or against him being characterized as pretentious or snobbish. As you examine this idea, consider whether privilege automatically makes a person a snob, or whether some additional element is necessary to justify this characterization. Support your arguments with both quoted and paraphrased evidence from throughout the text.

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