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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 subject did Bryson especially like?

2. What did Bryson and his friends do at the venue in #149?

3. What type of soda did Bryson get when he went downtown with his grandfather?

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

5. Where did Bryson and his friends have fun most of the year?

Short Essay Questions

1. What were some of the unpleasant issues Americans faced in 1957 even though the Gallup organization claimed it was a very happy year?

2. What were the circumstances when, for the second time, Bryson realized that adults could not be trusted?

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

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

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

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

7. What was Bryson's opinion of staying in Des Moines versus moving to a bigger city?

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

9. Where did Bryson's grandparents live and what did he love about the place?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why did Bryson choose to use the first person perspective for the stories? What does this point of view entail? What do you know about the characters and the plot lines that you would not know from a different point of view? What do you NOT know about the characters and plot lines based on this point of view?

Essay Topic 2

Humor takes on an almost human persona in this story. What is this literary technique called? Cite examples that support this position.

Essay Topic 3

What is the point of view of this book? Why did Bryson use this point of view? Is it the only way the book could have realistically been written? How else could Bryson have used point of view to alter the rhythm of the book? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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