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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 "Lady Marmalade," what is the name of the reform school that Tiffany was sent to?

2. In the beginning of "Fresh-Caught Haddock," where are Sedaris, Amy, and Hugh as they listen to the sounds of the protest?

3. What most bothers Sedaris about the phrases he discusses in "A Better Place" ?

4. In "Lady Marmalade," what did Lou suggest Sedaris's childhood stomach pains were caused by?

5. On page 247 of "Lucky-Go-Happy," what space does Sedaris say he thinks of as his "office"?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Lucky-Go-Happy," what rhetorical purpose unites Sedaris's choice to talk about varying face mask usage, fireworks stores, and gun sightings?

2. 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?

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

4. In "Pussytoes," what is Sedaris's reaction to his father's "Little Black Book"?

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

6. In "A Better Place," what are Sedaris's practical objections to the idea that deceased loved ones look down on us from heaven?

7. In "Fresh-Caught Haddock," what examples of his own unconscious racism does Sedaris give?

8. In "Smile, Beautiful," how do Hugh and Amy react after Sedaris reveals his newly corrected teeth?

9. In "Lucky-Go-Happy," what does Sedaris say about using Hugh as a test audience for his writing?

10. 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?

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

You have given some thought to what kinds of structural and focal choices are effective in conveying serious social ideas in a brief format like Sedaris's essays. But do these rules hold true when the subject matter is more personal or more lighthearted? Choose one of the essays from this collection that is about a topic that is either personal to Sedaris--such as one of the essays about his father or Hugh--or that is generally less serious--such as one of the essays about Amy or Sedaris's own failings. Write an essay that analyzes the structure and focus of the essay and then evaluates whether these choices are effective, and why. Support your assertions with evidence drawn from throughout the essay.

Essay Topic 3

"Unbuttoned" is just one of the essays in Happy-Go-Lucky that focuses attention on how Sedaris's relationship with his father shaped him. Consider the various essays in the collection that discuss Sedaris's relationship with his father and what they convey about the complexity of that relationship. What are the claims that Sedaris seems to be making about his father? How do the differing reactions of his siblings support or undermine his claims? How might differing expectations about the presentation of masculinity be a factor in Sedaris's relationship with his father? How do the events in "Unbuttoned" feel like an important shift in Sedaris's relationship with Lou? Do his essays that were written after this time period reflect that a real change has taken place? Write an essay that takes and defends a position about the impact on David Sedaris of being raised by Lou Sedaris and then watching this man decline into old age and death. Support your claims with evidence from throughout the text.

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