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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. According to Bill, what product do Americans regard much differently than the British?
(a) Cars.
(b) Clothing.
(c) Pet food.
(d) Over-the-counter drugs.

2. In "The Numbers Game," what does Bill say is beyond the comprehension of everyone?
(a) How tax money is spent.
(b) How the government manages to get anything done.
(c) How much money huge sums really represent.
(d) Why government workers get so many holidays.

3. What does Bill discuss at the beginning of his essay on design flaws?
(a) His son's jeans.
(b) His wife's clothing.
(c) His daughter's jewelry.
(d) His son's running shoes.

4. What particular product in American supermarkets fascinates Bill?
(a) Pet food.
(b) Cereal.
(c) Meat.
(d) Laundry soap.

5. What does Bill say is a new shopping experience for him on his return to America?
(a) Shopping insurance.
(b) Personal service.
(c) Outlet malls.
(d) Money-back guarantees.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Bryson call the expression his wife wears when she is ready for serious gardening?

2. How does Bryson begin "Tales of the North Woods?"

3. What does Bill say about his hair?

4. Why did Bill decide to write "Friendly People?"

5. What event in America is starting up as Bill begins writing his columns for his British audience?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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."

2. Bryson calls America "the ultimate shopping paradise" in "Consuming Pleasures." How does he support this statement?

3. In "On the Hotline," how does dental floss become the topic of this essay? What is the outcome of Bryson's reading the fine print on his floss packaging?

4. "Friendly People" begins with Mrs. Bryson telling Bill that all he did in his columns was make negative comments about the United States. He goes on to say there are a lot of things he likes about America. What are some of those things?

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

6. 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?

7. In "The Inefficiency Report," Bryson says "Our subject today is large-scale incompetence in my native land." Give some examples of what he believes are areas of incompetence in 1990s America.

8. 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.

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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