View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Bill say about the barber in his new hometown?
(a) He could talk the hind leg off a donkey.
(b) He is fresh out of barber school and eager to try new things.
(c) He only seems to know hairstyles from the 1950's.
(d) He reads more books than Bill does.

2. According to Bryson, why are national parks and wilderness areas in the United States overcrowded?
(a) Because everyone brings their cars.
(b) Because too many people take their children.
(c) Because people are tired of the cities.
(d) Because they are inexpensive to visit.

3. What does Bill say about his hair?
(a) He is losing it quickly.
(b) He has "very happy" hair.
(c) He always covers it with a hat.
(d) He wants to color the gray.

4. What does Bill say about the way people of the world eat?
(a) Most people don't eat enough.
(b) There are thousands of foods but only a few are eaten a lot.
(c) Most people eat too much.
(d) We eat a huge variety of things.

5. How does Bill feel when he goes to a barbershop?
(a) Happy tot talk to someone with sense.
(b) He can get caught up on his reading.
(c) Helpless and insecure.
(d) Like he is going to empty his wallet.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Bill say about American sports teams that would never happen in Britain?

2. Why does Bill prefer the post offices in the U.S. to the ones in Britain?

3. What does Bill hate about flying now that he is back in the U.S.?

4. According to Bryson, why did a store in Michigan win a case brought against them by a customer?

5. What does Bryson think is sad about how things are changing in modern Vermont?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "How to Have Fun at Home,"which household conveniences are high on Bill's approval list? Why?

2. 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?

3. In "The Risk Factor," how does Bryson explain that the average American is twice as likely to die accidentally as the average Briton?

4. In "The Numbers Game," Bryson expresses his amazement at the large numbers that are quoted by American government agencies. What does he say about the use of such large numbers?

5. 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."

6. "Tales of the North Woods" tells the reader something about the wilder side of New Hampshire, Bryson's new home state. What information does he share with the reader about the wilderness of New Hampshire?

7. 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"?

8. In "Design Flaws" Bryson compares running shoes and his computer keyboard. What does he say about each one?

9. What information about household accidents in America does Bryson give the reader in "Well, Doctor. I was Just Trying to Lie Down..."? Where did he find his information?

10. 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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,568 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample