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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. Who was the friend who introduced Bryson to the finer things in life?

2. Which friend became Bryson's literary agent?

3. What was the one constant in the potluck suppers in town?

4. Where did Bryson's grandparents go nearly every night in the summer?

5. What job did Bryson have during the 1950s and 1960s?

Short Essay Questions

1. For what was Bryson most notorious in high school and what did he do after graduation?

2. What did Bryson learn about his parents that pleased him and how did this change his views of his real parentage?

3. What did Bryson usually do when he spent time at his grandparents' home?

4. How did the Bryson family end up staying in a hotel in Harlem?

5. What did the adult Bryson recall about the Des Moines of his youth?

6. What did Bryson and his friends do when they went to the movie matinees?

7. What was the irony of sending Bryson to the cloakroom as a punishment?

8. What were Bryson's favorite books in school and why did he like them?

9. What happened to The Thunderbolt Kid's sacred jersey?

10. The Iowa State Fair had many attractions but what did boys hope to see the most?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Create a character study of Bill Bryson. What are his physical characteristics? What are his personality traits? What are his motivations? What are his fears? What else can you say about Bryson?

Essay Topic 2

Create a character study of Bryson's parents. What were their physical characteristics? What were their motivations? What were their fears? What were their dreams? What else can you say about Bryson's parents?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the overall settings for the book. What is important about each setting as it is revealed? What are the time periods of the stories? How important are the time periods to the attitudes and issues of the people?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 960 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample