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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 "Happy-Go-Lucky," what is Sedaris relieved that his father does not remember accurately?
2. In "Smile, Beautiful," what does Sedaris say is his "only certified phobia" (215)?
3. In "Pussytoes," which sibling ends up making the bulk of the arrangements after Lou's death?
4. In "The Vacuum," what is Sedaris's first thought when he hears a man shouting "Look at the fucking clown!" (147)?
5. In "Pearls," what age does Sedaris say is the official start of old age?
Short Essay Questions
1. In "Happy-Go-Lucky," what is the rhetorical function of Sedaris's comment that his father used to watch at lot of Fox News?
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. In "Pearls," what does Sedaris theorize are the two main causes of relationship failures?
4. In "Happy-Go-Lucky," what do the changes in Lou suggest to Sedaris might be true in his own life?
5. 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?
6. In "Fresh-Caught Haddock," what examples of his own unconscious racism does Sedaris give?
7. In "Lady Marmalade," what conclusion does Sedaris draw about Lou's motivations for his behavior toward his children's bodies?
8. In "Happy-Go-Lucky," what two examples does Sedaris give of his father's tendency to exaggerate?
9. What literal and figurative meanings does Sedaris convey with the title "Pearls"?
10. In "Lucky-Go-Happy," what rhetorical purpose unites Sedaris's choice to talk about varying face mask usage, fireworks stores, and gun sightings?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
In "The Vacuum," Sedaris is defensive about being called "tone deaf and elitist" during the Covid-19 pandemic (149). Consider Happy-Go-Lucky as a whole. What elements of Sedaris's writing seem to support this charge? What elements argue against it? Does Sedaris seem aware of and compassionate towards the concerns of ordinary people, or does he seem somewhat self-involved and callous? Write an essay in which you take and defend a position about whether Sedaris is or is not indifferent to the suffering of others. Support your assertions with evidence drawn from throughout the anthology.
Essay Topic 2
In "Pussytoes," Sedaris shares his ideas about how his and his siblings' shared past impacts them in the present. He also wonders how his father's death might affect their relationship in the future. But "Pussytoes" is not the only essay in this collection that considers how the past, present, and future are related. Choose another essay in which you see Sedaris drawing links between the past, present, and future. Write an essay that shows the presence of this pattern in your chosen essay, making clear what specific ideas Sedaris is conveying about how the past influences the present and how the present might predict the future. Support your assertions with evidence drawn 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 1,012 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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