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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. After his gourmet meal, Sedaris elects to
(a) Eat a huge bucket of popcorn at the movies.
(b) Grab a burger at a fast-food place.
(c) Grab a hot dog on the way to the movies.
(d) Eat a plate of nachos at the movies.

2. Facing his lack of artistic talent might mean
(a) Needing more drugs.
(b) Sobering up and moving on.
(c) Learning a new trade.
(d) Admitting his father was right.

3. What is Lou Sedaris excited about at the start of the essay?
(a) His daughter, Amy, is going to appear in a magazine article.
(b) His daughter, Amy, is getting married.
(c) His daughter ,Amy, has lost a considerable amount of weight.
(d) David is going to appear in a magazine article.

4. Sedaris wonders at the way Paul and his father
(a) Avoid one another.
(b) Have learned to endure one another.
(c) Communicate so well.
(d) Continue to live under the same roof.

5. What prompts Sedaris to find a job in New York?
(a) He cannot live on his savings alone in New York.
(b) He is planning to buy a townhouse.
(c) He is ashamed of his poverty.
(d) His father disapproves of his lifestyle.

Short Answer Questions

1. The title Sedaris tried to win for sun-bathing was

2. Instead of the performance piece in the twelfth "moment," Sedaris seems to admire

3. What skill does Sedaris admire in his mother that eludes him?

4. Richie had been in prison for

5. Sedaris compares the typewriter's antiquity to

Short Essay Questions

1. What features of the the typewriter does Sedaris praise?

2. When does Sedaris come to understand his parents' experience with dying pets?

3. Describe Sedaris' tone in relation to his own artistic talents.

4. Why does Sedaris believe there are no "normal" restaurants left in his neighborhood?

5. Why does Mr. Mancini constantly refer to women and his sexual exploits?

6. What attributes of Paul's relationship with his father seem to balance out his directness and crude behavior?

7. How are Valencia and Patrick different?

8. How does the speech therapist continue to bring Sedaris' lisp to his attention?

9. Why does Sedaris feel the need to offer a comment to the final performance artist he mentions in the essay before he leaves?

10. Why does Sedaris feel his father admired jazz so much as a young man?

(see the answer keys)

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