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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In the twenty years since Bryson left the United States, by how much have car numbers, roads, and mileage increased?
(a) By half.
(b) By two times.
(c) By 10%.
(d) By 100%.

2. What does Bill end up doing with all the food he buys at the supermarket?
(a) He eats his way through it and buys more.
(b) He throws half of it out.
(c) He makes his kids eat it all.
(d) He eats his way through it and hates it.

3. Why doesn't Bryson like gardening with his wife?
(a) She expects him to garden for hours at a time.
(b) He has to do all the work.
(c) She screams if she sees any insects.
(d) She is English and thus an expert gardener.

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

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

Short Answer Questions

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

2. Bill is amazed that thousands of Americans end up in the emergency rooms every year from using certain things. What are they?

3. What does Bryson say that all New Englanders do?

4. What did the town of Laconia, New Hampshire, have to do about its new sidewalks and benches in its town center?

5. How does Bill know so much about motels?

Short Essay Questions

1. Bryson has a nostalgic look at motels in "Room Service." How does he compare and contrast older motels with those of the mid 1990's?

2. What does Bryson, who admits he "is no stranger to sloth," say about the walking habits of Americans in Essay 26, "Why No One Walks"?

3. Bryson finds the lack of privacy in America to be a problem. List three examples of this problem that he cites in "Snoopers at Work."

4. "The Cupholder Revolution" details the proliferation of cupholders. What does Bryson have to say about them?

5. What comparison does Bryson make between American baseball and English cricket in "Take Me Out to the Ballpark"?

6. In "A Visit to the Barbershop," how does Bryson convey that adjusting to the small town barbershop is difficult?

7. Why does Bryson hate calling the computer helpline, as he outlines in "Help!"? How does he react to hotlines in general?

8. In "Mail Call," what points does Bryson bring up to compare American post offices and British post offices? Why does he prefer American post offices?

9. Summarize Bryson's trip to the supermarket in "Junk-Food Heaven." Include why he went shopping in the first place, what he saw at the store, and what was the ultimate outcome of that trip.

10. In "Rule Number 1: Follow All Rules,"what does Bryson use as an example of a rule that must be followed in America? How does he compare the devotion to order in the U.S. and Britain?

(see the answer keys)

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