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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is Bryson astonished to find on his plane on a flight from Boston to Denver?
(a) A chimpanzee.
(b) Am armed guard.
(c) An inflated dinghy.
(d) An entire hockey team.

2. What house feature does Bryson miss from his childhood?
(a) The spare bedroom.
(b) The back shed.
(c) The screened porch.
(d) The out house.

3. What word associated with Christmas does Bryson wonder about at the beginning of "The Mysteries of Christmas"?
(a) Merry.
(b) Noel.
(c) Yule.
(d) A-wassailing.

4. Why does Bryson say he never ultimately drove the rental car he needed at the Boston airport?
(a) A friend gave him a lift instead.
(b) He would not buy insurance.
(c) He could not find it.
(d) He did not have a valid driver's license.

5. What do New Englanders call the tourists who come to New England in the fall?
(a) Tree crazies.
(b) Leaf lovers.
(c) Tree huggers.
(d) Leaf peepers.

6. What does Bryson say about the long trip and back to take his son to college?
(a) Travelling by car is one of his favorite things.
(b) Travelling on American highways is dull.
(c) It was quick.
(d) It was sad.

7. Which American tourist attraction does Bryson describe as a "Total Indoor Environment"?
(a) Disney World.
(b) Opryland.
(c) Las Vegas.
(d) Yellowstone Park.

8. What was Bryson disappointed about on his book tours?
(a) That he had to sign so many books.
(b) Interviewers who knew nothing about his book.
(c) Hotel room service.
(d) The waiting in stores for people to show up.

9. According to Bryson, what problem does he have with relating to New Englanders?
(a) They don't trust people who read books.
(b) They never watch television.
(c) They never want any "alone time."
(d) They love winter and winter sports.

10. Who does Bryson say designed the snowmobile?
(a) His friend Danny Blanchflower.
(b) Thomas Edison.
(c) Satan.
(d) Joseph Armand Bombardier.

11. According to Bryson, which man from his childhood state deserves more credit in American history?
(a) Adlai Stevenson.
(b) Herbert Hoover.
(c) Mark Twain.
(d) Washington Carver.

12. What does Bryson find the most "mind-numbing" feature of modern television?
(a) There are too many so-called experts on too many talk shows.
(b) There are so many good programs and not enough time to watch them.
(c) The commercial breaks.
(d) The same shows are shown over and over.

13. In "The Best American Holiday," what does Bryson say about his mother?
(a) Once a year, for Thanksgiving, she'd make a great meal.
(b) She was a great cook.
(c) She had Thanksgiving catered.
(d) She tried, but the Thanksgiving meal was always a failure.

14. In "On Losing a Son," why does Bryson decide to play baseball with his youngest child?
(a) He is tired of working on his writing.
(b) He realizes the little boy is growing up.
(c) He thinks the boy has a chance to be professional.
(d) He wants him to learn an American sport.

15. When Bryson takes his family to one of the last drive-ins in the area, what is the experience like?
(a) The kids hated it, the adults loved it.
(b) It was amazing.
(c) Not fun at all.
(d) The audio had improved greatly since the 1970s.

Short Answer Questions

1. When Bryson had his first book published, what did his publisher send him to?

2. What does Bryson fondly remember about highway travel when he was a boy?

3. Bryson compares modern airplanes to _______________.

4. In "Death Watch," what does Bryson dislike because they are "cold and bouncy and make odd noises."?

5. What does Bryson say about the New England summers?

(see the answer keys)

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