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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 does Bryson say about New England in "Fall in New England"?
(a) There are too many bugs.
(b) For a couple of weeks, the colors are amazing.
(c) He's glad the kids are back in school.
(d) The weather is too cold.

2. What does Bryson do in the section called "Life's Mysteries"?
(a) Asks questions about things he doesn't understand.
(b) Talks about unsolved murder cases in New Hampshire.
(c) Wonders why the English act the way they do.
(d) Answers questions about things most people don't understand.

3. Which American business name mystifies Bryson?
(a) Burger King.
(b) Dunkin' Donuts.
(c) IHOP.
(d) Toys R Us.

4. Bryson compares modern airplanes to _______________.
(a) Trains in the air.
(b) Winged buses.
(c) Subways above ground.
(d) Winged cars.

5. In "Enough Already," which item comes in 18 varieties in American supermarkets?
(a) Gum removal spray.
(b) Veggie burgers.
(c) Milk.
(d) Incontinence diapers.

Short Answer Questions

1. What was Bryson disappointed about on his book tours?

2. Which American tourist attraction does Bryson describe as a "Total Indoor Environment"?

3. What does Mrs. Bryson tell her husband about Maggie that cheers him up?

4. Why was Bryson unhappy about a flight he and his family took from Minneapolis?

5. What does Bryson like to do when he picks up his mail on winter mornings?

Short Essay Questions

1. Bryson looks at obesity in "The Fat of the Land." Name three statistics he mentions in relation to obesity.

2. In "Ah, Summer!" what does Bryson say he likes about summers in New Hampshire? How does he compare them to summers in Iowa?

3. Bryson explains the joys of living in a snowy climate in "Fun in the Snow." How does he give the reader the impression that he is not a natural athlete?

4. In "Enough Already," Bryson says there is just too much of everything in America (except time, money, good plumbers, and polite people). What examples does he give to back this up? Why does he think it is not a good thing?

5. Find three examples from "The Great Indoors" that Bryson cites as reasons he thinks Americans spend too much time indoors.

6. Bryson relates his sad tale of trying to rent a car when he went to the Boston airport in "How to Rent a Car." What are some of the problems he encountered?

7. In "A Day at the Seaside," what does Mrs. Bryson suggest the family do? How does Bill react to this?

8. What does Bryson tell the reader about drive-in movies in "At the Drive-In"?

9. "Book Tours", Bryson talks about his fondness for book tours. Why does he like them?

10. In "Shopping Madness," Bryson says there is a discipline called "retail anthropology." What is it ? What are some of the things it studies?

(see the answer keys)

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