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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How do 40,000 Americans die a year, according to Bryson?
(a) By falling under trains.
(b) By gunshot wounds.
(c) By contracting hepatitis.
(d) By accidents on construction sites.

2. How does Bryson begin "Tales of the North Woods?"
(a) He talks about a college student who left a party and died in the woods.
(b) He talks about using a snowmobile.
(c) He talks about the town that disappeared, and no one has found it.
(d) He talks about shoveling snow.

3. In "The Numbers Game," what does Bill say is beyond the comprehension of everyone?
(a) How tax money is spent.
(b) How much money huge sums really represent.
(c) How the government manages to get anything done.
(d) Why government workers get so many holidays.

4. How does Bill feel when he goes to a barbershop?
(a) Helpless and insecure.
(b) Like he is going to empty his wallet.
(c) He can get caught up on his reading.
(d) Happy tot talk to someone with sense.

5. In "Why Everyone is Worried," which federal agency is not doing a very good job, according to Bryson?
(a) Homeland Security.
(b) The CIA.
(c) Administration on Aging.
(d) The FBI.

6. Why did Bill decide to write "Friendly People?"
(a) Because his editor wanted him to.
(b) Because he had to make good on a bet.
(c) Because he thought it would be funny.
(d) Because his wife told him all he did was complain in his columns.

7. What product first reveals the popularity of toll-free hotline phone numbers to Bill?
(a) Toothpaste.
(b) Milk.
(c) Soda.
(d) Dental floss.

8. What does Bill say about American sports teams that would never happen in Britain?
(a) The players play for small salaries.
(b) A team can move its franchise to a new city.
(c) The players are all polite.
(d) The teams have cheerleaders.

9. Bill is amazed that thousands of Americans end up in the emergency rooms every year from using certain things. What are they?
(a) Common household items.
(b) Cars.
(c) Snow blowers.
(d) Guns.

10. What did the town of Laconia, New Hampshire, have to do about its new sidewalks and benches in its town center?
(a) Refit them for handicapped residents.
(b) Refit them for use in a movie.
(c) Sanitize them.
(d) Remove them because no one was using them.

11. According to Bryson, why did a store in Michigan win a case brought against them by a customer?
(a) It had a really good lawyer.
(b) The store had a right to hire armed guards
(c) The store had a right to protect itself from shoplifting
(d) The customer had a history of suing every business in town.

12. What does Bill hate about flying now that he is back in the U.S.?
(a) Having to show photo identification at the airport.
(b) No meals are served.
(c) The snacks are terrible.
(d) The price of tickets.

13. What does Bryson say about American gardens?
(a) They are mostly weeds.
(b) They are mostly roses.
(c) They are mostly bushes.
(d) They are mostly lawn.

14. What does Bryson call the expression his wife wears when she is ready for serious gardening?
(a) Her Adidas expression.
(b) Her Gatorade expression.
(c) Her Nike expression.
(d) Her Pepsi expression.

15. Why does Bryson think the cupholder revolution is a bit strange?
(a) People shouldn't be drinking and driving.
(b) Some cars have way more cupholders than capacity for passengers.
(c) The car makers should make better cars and forget the cupholders.
(d) Americans are spoiled and want every little convenience.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. In "Room Service," what does Bill say the Motel Inn in California is famous for?

3. What does Bill say is ridiculous about a VCR?

4. According to Bill, what product do Americans regard much differently than the British?

5. What is one complaint Bryson has about the small towns around him?

(see the answer keys)

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