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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. Why did Bill decide to write "Friendly People?"
(a) Because his editor wanted him to.
(b) Because he thought it would be funny.
(c) Because his wife told him all he did was complain in his columns.
(d) Because he had to make good on a bet.

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

3. What does Bill like about having a college as part of he town he lives in?
(a) He and his family can use their facilities.
(b) It has snob appeal.
(c) His kids can go there for free.
(d) It keeps the taxes down.

4. Bill is amazed that thousands of Americans end up in the emergency rooms every year from using certain things. What are they?
(a) Cars.
(b) Common household items.
(c) Guns.
(d) Snow blowers.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. After living in Britain for twenty years, what does Bill find refreshingly different about the United States?

2. What does Bill find to be a difficult adjustment for him when he returns to the U.S.?

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

4. How does Bill feel when he goes to a barbershop?

5. Why does Bryson have an issue with the Internet?

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. In "The War on Drugs," what examples does Bryson give to prove his belief about American drug laws being unfair?

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

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

5. 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?

6. 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.

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

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

10. 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.

(see the answer keys)

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