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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. What does Sedaris notice about many signs posted in America?
(a) The signs are clearly posted to avoid lawsuits.
(b) The signs are clearly posted to help travellers feel comfortable.
(c) The signs are clearly posted to insult the intelligence of foreigners.
(d) The signs suggest a level of sophistication among Americans.

2. Sedaris claims he sees so many movies because
(a) He has not seen most of these films in America.
(b) He has no interest in other attractions.
(c) He is too intimidated by the French to do anything else.
(d) He is too lazy to do anything else.

3. Sedaris initially offends the American couple by
(a) Admitting that he speaks English.
(b) Crowding the couple with his body.
(c) Grabbing on to a support pole they are clinging to.
(d) Refusing to acknowlege their questions.

4. Whose childhood stories does Sedaris borrow for this essay?
(a) Hugh's.
(b) Amy's.
(c) His mother's.
(d) His father's.

5. When Sedaris can no longer turn to his friends and family for help with the puzzles, he
(a) Has to buy reference books.
(b) Has to buy a cell phone to call them in America.
(c) Has to buy a French dictionary.
(d) Has to give up the puzzles for a while.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Sedaris admit to feeling for America?

2. Sedaris is considered a celebrity by French teenagers because

3. Sedaris finds that most of the people in class share the belief that

4. The toughest trip Sedaris can remember enduring as a child involved

5. Why did Hugh's family live in the Congo?

Short Essay Questions

1. Ultimately, how does Sedaris claim to feel about Hugh's experiences?

2. While watching the girl dangle from a broken ride at the Paris street fair, what is Sedaris most concerned about?

3. Why does Sedaris finally start referring to nouns in their plural form?

4. Why does Sedaris believe he cannot have the same movie-viewing experiences in America that he has in Paris?

5. Why is Reggie so indignant about his job on the construction site clean-up crew?

6. Why does the barber refuse to believe Jodi Foster would clean up after her own dog while walking on the beach?

7. Describe the Easter celebration the Sedaris family held each year.

8. Why does Sedaris eventually take the Mensa IQ test?

9. How has Sedaris' childhood been different from Hugh's?

10. Why are Sedaris' fantasies about manipulating American people rather than French people?

(see the answer keys)

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