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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. What disappeared in the north woods of New Hampshire in 1996 and was never found?
(a) A helicopter.
(b) The Bryson's dog.
(c) A van full of illegal aliens.
(d) A Lear jet.

2. What American kitchen convenience does Bill think is just wonderful?
(a) The garbage disposal.
(b) The blender.
(c) The dishwasher.
(d) The microwave.

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

4. What does Bill find to be a difficult adjustment for him when he returns to the U.S.?
(a) He left as a young man and came back middle-aged.
(b) He cannot find what he wants in the stores.
(c) He has forgotten American English.
(d) He finds it very noisy.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. In "The Risk Factor," what does Bryson say an American is twice as likely to do as a British person?

2. What does Bryson say about American gardens?

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

4. What does Bill like about having a college as part of he town he lives in?

5. What do U.S. post offices do once a year that Bill likes a lot?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Bryson support his statement that summer movies "have become so dumb, so very, very dumb" (Essay "Lost at the Movies")?

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

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

4. In "Coming Home" Bryson says he is "gamely assessing" the concept of not being able to go home again. What circumstances took him away from the United States in the 1970s? How did he spend the following two decades in England? What is his reaction on returning to the United States in 1996?

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

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

7. Bryson relates how his attitude to the informality and familiarity in American life seemed an irritant when he returned to the United States. For Essay 19, "Number Please," relate some of the ways he has encountered this informality in America.

8. 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"?

9. 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?

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

(see the answer keys)

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