View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Bill tell the reader about crime in New Hampshire?
(a) There were only four murders in the last reporting year.
(b) There is no death penalty.
(c) Serious crime is on the increase.
(d) Petty crime is a problem in the rural areas.

2. Bryson nostalgically describes the movie theater where he grew up. Where is his home town?
(a) Montgomery, Alabama.
(b) Dearborn, Michigan.
(c) Des Moines, Iowa.
(d) Richford, Vermont.

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

4. What does Bill find to be a difficult adjustment for him when he returns to the U.S.?
(a) He cannot find what he wants in the stores.
(b) He left as a young man and came back middle-aged.
(c) He finds it very noisy.
(d) He has forgotten American English.

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

6. In "How to Have Fun at Home," why does Bill think having your groceries bagged for you is not so great?
(a) It doesn't buy him any quality time.
(b) It makes him feel lazy.
(c) He has to tip the bagger.
(d) He has to make conversation with the bagger.

7. Why does Bill prefer the post offices in the U.S. to the ones in Britain?
(a) The U.S. post offices only deal with mail.
(b) Each town has one.
(c) The buildings are clean and new.
(d) The U.S. postal charges are very low.

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

9. What does Bill say about his hair?
(a) He has "very happy" hair.
(b) He wants to color the gray.
(c) He always covers it with a hat.
(d) He is losing it quickly.

10. In "Wide-Open Spaces," according to Bryson, who was an idiot?
(a) Daniel Boone.
(b) Samuel de Champlain.
(c) Monty Hall.
(d) Grover Cleveland.

11. What do U.S. post offices do once a year that Bill likes a lot?
(a) Give out door prizes.
(b) Give customers free donuts, pastries, and coffee.
(c) Give customers free stamps.
(d) Have a charity softball game.

12. In "Lost at the Movies," which Jurassic Park movie did Bryson take his children to see?
(a) Lost Appetites.
(b) Lost Innocence.
(c) Lost Dinosaurs.
(d) Lost World.

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

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

15. What does Bill say is a big improvement in America concerning business phone numbers?
(a) The 1-800 numbers are easy to remember.
(b) They are preprogrammed on everyone's phone.
(c) Business calls cannot be made into people's homes.
(d) They are only four-digits.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where do Bill and his wife go to celebrate their anniversary?

2. How do 40,000 Americans die a year, according to Bryson?

3. What does Bill say it would take over 31,000 years to do?

4. What does Bryson think is sad about how things are changing in modern Vermont?

5. According to Bryson, why did a store in Michigan win a case brought against them by a customer?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 703 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample