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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Bryson compares modern airplanes to _______________.
(a) Winged buses.
(b) Winged cars.
(c) Subways above ground.
(d) Trains in the air.

2. What does Bryson say Americans are very resistant to in the field of energy?
(a) Finding alternative sources of energy.
(b) Raising the price of gasoline even slightly.
(c) Using less gasoline.
(d) Driving smaller cars.

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

4. In "The Waste Generation," what does Bryson think is getting worse in the United States, compared to his youth?
(a) Poverty.
(b) Pollution.
(c) Global warming.
(d) Crime.

5. How much energy does Bryson say the average American uses compared to the average European?
(a) Half as much.
(b) Twice as much.
(c) Three times as much.
(d) Just slightly more.

6. What does Mrs. Bryson tell her husband about Maggie that cheers him up?
(a) Maggie had made herself sick on vegetarian stew.
(b) Maggie had moved to Boston.
(c) Maggie had to have her jaw wired shut for dental work.
(d) Maggie dyed her hair, and it turned green.

7. What was the "Millennium Bug" about, in regards to computers?
(a) It was a new very tiny computer.
(b) At midnight on January 1, 2000 all computers might shut down.
(c) It was an extremely destructive virus.
(d) No royalties would be paid to computer developers after that date.

8. How did Bryson describe his first run on a snowmobile?
(a) As awesome.
(b) As a waking nightmare.
(c) As too slow for him.
(d) As a jolly good time.

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

10. What is the main point Bryson is making in "Your Tax Form Explained"?
(a) Paying taxes is unavoidable.
(b) It is easy to understand.
(c) No one should try to fill out a tax return.
(d) That it is very confusing.

11. What is Bryson's observations on the conveniences of life in America in the 1990s?
(a) He wishes England had more conveniences.
(b) They are the best improvement he came home to.
(c) They need to be banned.
(d) They are not necessarily better, but people think they are.

12. In "Enough Already," which item comes in 18 varieties in American supermarkets?
(a) Incontinence diapers.
(b) Milk.
(c) Gum removal spray.
(d) Veggie burgers.

13. What February holiday does Bryson say is new to him on his return to the United States?
(a) Family Day.
(b) Groundhog Day.
(c) President's Day.
(d) Valentine's Day.

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

15. What is Bryson's opinion of book tours?
(a) They are kind of fun.
(b) They are very educational.
(c) They are boring.
(d) They are a waste of time.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Bryson say about computer energy consumption at the beginning of "The Waste Generation"?

2. What movie is Bryson describing at the beginning of "The Wasteland"?

3. What do New Englanders call the tourists who come to New England in the fall?

4. According to Bryson, what did people in the past do when they flew?

5. According to Bryson, what problem does he have with relating to New Englanders?

(see the answer keys)

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