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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. Before leaving for The Plaza, Sedaris warns Bonnie that
(a) She will get mugged if she dresses too formally.
(b) She will probably be overcharged by her cab driver.
(c) She might want to put on more formal clothing.
(d) She might want to go someplace less formal.

2. Why is Sedaris unable to ignore the problem?
(a) Everyone else knows he has been in the bathroom.
(b) He is obsessive about cleanliness.
(c) Everyone else has already tried to clean it up an failed.
(d) He feels guilty about leaving a mess behind for others to clean up.

3. By way of explanation, Amy Sedaris explains her "bruises" and "sores" by saying
(a) She fell down the stairs.
(b) Her father beat her up.
(c) She is finally in love.
(d) Her public should love her no matter what she looks like.

4. Lou Sedaris once dreamed that computers would
(a) Eliminate the need for typewriters.
(b) Connect people to their jobs at all times.
(c) Eliminate the need to leave his home.
(d) Connect people all over the world.

5. Sedaris' mother might be described as
(a) Visionary.
(b) A theorist.
(c) Pragmatic.
(d) An inventor.

Short Answer Questions

1. While Sedaris has been preoccupied with tanning, his father has been preoccupied with

2. Sedaris and his father seem to

3. What prompts Sedaris to find a job in New York?

4. Rather than sports, Sedaris states that he and his fellow speech therapy students were more interested in

5. The Japanese cartoon Fatty and Skinny makes Sedaris sad because

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. Why does Sedaris resist learning to play the guitar?

4. Why doesn't Sedaris plan any activities for his writing class beyond the first introductions?

5. Why does Sedaris believe his his parents are so lenient with Melina, the Great Dane?

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

7. How are Sedaris' parents described differently in the chapter?

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

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. What does Sedaris find unusual about the way the food in his neighborhood restaurants is served on the plate.

(see the answer keys)

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