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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 animal got trapped in the Bryson house soon after the family moved in?
(a) A rat.
(b) A skunk.
(c) A squirrel.
(d) The neighbor's cat.

2. What did Bryson's parents give him for Christmas when he was eight?
(a) Skates.
(b) A doll.
(c) Skis.
(d) A chemistry set.

3. What house feature does Bryson miss from his childhood?
(a) The screened porch.
(b) The out house.
(c) The back shed.
(d) The spare bedroom.

4. According to Bryson, when was the first official Thanksgiving held in the United States?
(a) In November of 1864.
(b) In October of 1640.
(c) In August of 1863.
(d) In September of 1922.

5. What do the British celebrate on December 26th?
(a) Little Christmas.
(b) St. Paul's Day.
(c) Epiphany.
(d) Boxing Day.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. Why is Bryson not impressed with the spell checker on his computer?

3. What does Bryson say about the long trip and back to take his son to college?

4. According to Bryson, what is the result of the "abundance of choice" in America?

5. What does Bryson say about computer energy consumption at the beginning of "The Waste Generation"?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. 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?

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

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

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

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

7. 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?

8. 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?

9. In "Deck the Halls," Bryson tells his readers that he is not looking forward to Christmas decorating. Why is this?

10. In "Lost in Cyberland," what kind of adventures does Bryson have with technology in America?

(see the answer keys)

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