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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. According to Bryson, what did people in the past do when they flew?
(a) Got sick a lot.
(b) Dressed up for it.
(c) Bought insurance for every flight.
(d) Ate and drank through the whole flight.

2. What does Bryson fondly remember about highway travel when he was a boy?
(a) The rest stops.
(b) The billboards.
(c) The lack of transport trucks.
(d) The scenery.

3. In "How to Rent a Car," what does Bryson find especially frustrating about the process?
(a) How and where to drop it off.
(b) The options he is offered.
(c) The limits on passengers.
(d) The mileage charges.

4. What does Bryson say about computer energy consumption at the beginning of "The Waste Generation"?
(a) That computer users need to be educated.
(b) That a lot of energy is consumed by computers left on at night.
(c) That computer use should be restricted to a few hours a day.
(d) That computer manufacturers could fix the high consumption very easily.

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

6. What does Bryson say about the New England summers?
(a) They are short.
(b) They are too hot.
(c) They are dull and rainy.
(d) They are boring.

7. In "The Flying Nightmare," what job does Bryson say his father had?
(a) A pilot.
(b) A salesman.
(c) A sportswriter.
(d) A singer.

8. Why is Bryson not impressed with the spell checker on his computer?
(a) It doesn't recognize surnames.
(b) It only displays in red.
(c) It doesn't recognize nonstandard spelling.
(d) It often just does not work at all.

9. According to Bryson, what is the result of the "abundance of choice" in America?
(a) A simple way of life.
(b) A lot of rich business owners.
(c) A lot of time wasted.
(d) A lot of happy people.

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

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

12. How was the first "drive-in" movie shown in New Jersey in the 1930's?
(a) On Richard Hollingshead's garage door.
(b) In a deserted baseball park.
(c) On a school's outside wall.
(d) In a tennis court.

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

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

15. Where does Mrs. Bryson like to go in the summer that Bill can definitely live without?
(a) The seaside.
(b) The mountains.
(c) To Connecticut.
(d) Back home to England.

Short Answer Questions

1. When Bryson takes his family to one of the last drive-ins in the area, what is the experience like?

2. What surprising statistic does Bryson share about the number of lawyers in America?

3. When looking for a place to live in the United States, what was the only thing Bryson liked about Adams, Massachusetts?

4. According to Bryson, what does the Travel Industry Association of America say about shopping?

5. What does Bryson comment on as being a strange development in the world of exercise?

(see the answer keys)

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