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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 Bryson, why did a store in Michigan win a case brought against them by a customer?
(a) The customer had a history of suing every business in town.
(b) The store had a right to protect itself from shoplifting
(c) The store had a right to hire armed guards
(d) It had a really good lawyer.

2. Why does Bryson have an issue with the Internet?
(a) It's unreliable.
(b) People can glean personal information about others.
(c) It's expensive.
(d) It's making people anti-social.

3. In "Why Everyone is Worried," which federal agency is not doing a very good job, according to Bryson?
(a) Homeland Security.
(b) The FBI.
(c) Administration on Aging.
(d) The CIA.

4. Why does Bill prefer the post offices in the U.S. to the ones in Britain?
(a) The buildings are clean and new.
(b) The U.S. post offices only deal with mail.
(c) Each town has one.
(d) The U.S. postal charges are very low.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. How do 40,000 Americans die a year, according to Bryson?

2. Bryson likes his privacy. Where does he especially find there is a lack of privacy in America?

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

4. What part of the house does Bill regard as delightful and pretty much the same in every American household?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

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

3. 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?

4. "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?

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

6. 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?

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

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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?

(see the answer keys)

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