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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. What does David try to get Lisa to listen to on the radio as they are driving somewhere on her birthday?

2. Who is the most adorable elf in SantaLand?

3. Sedaris discovers while working at the cafeteria that most people are what?

4. How long does it take the police to get the Dunbars home after Jocelyn calls them?

5. What does Sedaris feel for the shoppers who come to eat at the cafeteria where he works?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are some of the experiences Sedaris has with the adults who visit SantaLand?

2. What is Jocelyn Dunbar's youngest son like?

3. What happens the day that Jocelyn asks Khe Sahn to watch baby Don?

4. What happens when Sedaris tries to help a particularly harried mother one day?

5. What is David's opinion of his sister Lisa?

6. What reservations does David Sedaris have about wearing a costume for employment?

7. Why is Jocelyn Dunbar being accused of baby Don's murder?

8. What does Sedaris have to go through to be hired at SantaLand?

9. Why does David try to draw epiphanies from the released convicts he works with at the cafeteria?

10. What does Sedaris come to realize as increasing numbers of customers go through the line at Piccadilly cafeteria?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss how Sedaris covers the difficult topics of racism and class snobbery in his stories.

Essay Topic 2

What is the lasting impression that "Holidays on Ice" makes on the reader? What do you think the author's intent was in writing this story collection?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the theme of misguided expectations and how it resonates throughout the book.

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This section contains 809 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample