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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through The Great Indoors, Death Watch, In Praise of Diners, Shopping Madness, The Fat of the Land, Your New Computer, How to Rent a Car, The Wasteland, The Flying Nightmare and Enough Already.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Bill find in the bottom of his refrigerator, a left over from his junk-food shopping with his wife?
(a) Lettuce.
(b) Popsicles.
(c) Breakfast pizza.
(d) Toaster tarts.

2. In "A Slight Inconvenience," what does Bryson say about drive-through windows in restaurants?
(a) They save people a lot of time.
(b) They are unsanitary.
(c) They are inefficient.
(d) That people will spend more time in line than if they went in.

3. When Bill phones the computer hotline to ask for help, what information do they ask him for first?
(a) His address.
(b) His date of birth.
(c) The computer's serial number.
(d) His Social Security number.

4. Bryson says that 94% of Americans' trips from home involve the use of something in particular. What is that item?
(a) A snack.
(b) A cell phone.
(c) A car.
(d) A credit card.

5. What does Bill say is a strange feature of their car?
(a) There is an indentation on the dashboard with no obvious use.
(b) It dispenses ice.
(c) The steering wheel is heated.
(d) It has no cup holders.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why did Bill decide to write "Friendly People?"

2. How much does Bryson say the government spends on fighting drugs?

3. What part of the house does Bill regard as delightful and pretty much the same in every American household?

4. What does Bryson say about American gardens?

5. Although the GDP is seen as a positive in economic terms, how does Bill say it can be negative?

(see the answer key)

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