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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 is Bryson's opinion of book tours?
(a) They are boring.
(b) They are very educational.
(c) They are a waste of time.
(d) They are kind of fun.

2. What does Bryson fondly remember about highway travel when he was a boy?
(a) The lack of transport trucks.
(b) The scenery.
(c) The rest stops.
(d) The billboards.

3. When Bryson had his first book published, what did his publisher send him to?
(a) A resort to recover from his first book tour.
(b) A speech coach to get rid of his accent.
(c) The largest book store in New York for a book signing.
(d) A course in media training.

4. In "On Losing a Son," why does Bryson decide to play baseball with his youngest child?
(a) He wants him to learn an American sport.
(b) He thinks the boy has a chance to be professional.
(c) He is tired of working on his writing.
(d) He realizes the little boy is growing up.

5. What does Bryson say about the New England summers?
(a) They are short.
(b) They are too hot.
(c) They are dull and rainy.
(d) They are boring.

Short Answer Questions

1. As Bryson was writing, which American President was suing the government for loss of earnings?

2. What animal got trapped in the Bryson house soon after the family moved in?

3. According to Bryson, which man from his childhood state deserves more credit in American history?

4. According to Bryson, what did people in the past do when they flew?

5. What is Bryson satirizing in "Your New Computer"?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "So Sue Me," what does Bryson say about American lawyers?

2. "Highway Diversions" is Bryson's look at highway travel, which he says is very dull. How does he compare modern highway travel to the highway travel of his youth?

3. Bryson titled "The Waste Generation". Give three examples of why he thinks the generation of Americans in the 1990s is a wasteful one.

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

5. 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?

6. "The Myteries of Christmas" compares American Christmases and English Christmases. How does Bryson compare the two holidays?

7. "Your Tax Form Explained", what does Bryson satirize? Give three examples of how he does this.

8. In "On Losing a Son," what does Bryson say his main activities are as a father sending his son off to college?

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

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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