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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How does Bill explain the popularity of motel chains in America?
(a) Good marketing.
(b) People want the same thing wherever they go.
(c) Privately owned ones are expensive.
(d) The chains are clean and efficient.

2. What is one complaint Bryson has about the small towns around him?
(a) There are no libraries.
(b) That people are rude.
(c) That everyone uses their car to get around.
(d) That he can't find a decent dentist.

3. What is one way Bryson says New Hampshire residents might die that would not happen in Britain?
(a) Getting swine flu.
(b) Crashing their car into a moose.
(c) Swimming in the ocean.
(d) Flying their own plane.

4. What New Hampshire town did the Bryson family settle in during 1995?
(a) Hanover.
(b) Manchester.
(c) Concord.
(d) Colebrook.

5. In "The Risk Factor," what does Bryson say an American is twice as likely to do as a British person?
(a) Die accidentally.
(b) Die in childbirth.
(c) Die is hospital.
(d) Die of cancer.

6. What does Bryson think is sad about how things are changing in modern Vermont?
(a) More people now are born outside the state.
(b) There are too many Canadians there.
(c) Pollution is increasing.
(d) The weather is warming up.

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

8. What does Bill say is ridiculous about a VCR?
(a) It has no remote.
(b) It costs so much.
(c) It can record twelve months in advance.
(d) It is being replaced by a DVD player.

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

10. In "The War on Drugs," what is wrong, according to Bryson, about the penalties for drug possession?
(a) He thinks the laws favor the rich.
(b) He thinks the laws favor the poor.
(c) He thinks the penalties for drug possession are too harsh.
(d) He thinks the penalties should be harsher.

11. What trait does Bill admit that he has in regards to simple everyday activities?
(a) He is absentminded.
(b) He is perfect at everything he does.
(c) He is clumsy.
(d) He never forgets anything.

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

13. What is Bill's wife's reaction to his new American haircut?
(a) She bursts into tears.
(b) She says he must have said something to upset the barber.
(c) She loves it.
(d) She says she wants to send their sons there, too.

14. What does Bill Bryson like about his new home town?
(a) It has great shopping.
(b) It is close to Boston.
(c) It has a great college.
(d) It is a suburb.

15. How does Bill know so much about motels?
(a) He has stayed at thousands.
(b) He is reading a book called "The Motel in America."
(c) He belongs to a motel club.
(d) He used to own one.

Short Answer Questions

1. What do U.S. post offices do once a year that Bill likes a lot?

2. What does Bill say that he has to remember about going into restaurants?

3. When Bill phones the computer hotline to ask for help, what information do they ask him for first?

4. In "Why Everyone is Worried," which federal agency is not doing a very good job, according to Bryson?

5. What does Bill miss about television in Britain?

(see the answer keys)

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