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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Bill say is a new shopping experience for him on his return to America?

2. What does Bill tell the reader about crime in New Hampshire?

3. What does Bill say about his hair?

4. According to Bryson, why are national parks and wilderness areas in the United States overcrowded?

5. Although the GDP is seen as a positive in economic terms, how does Bill say it can be negative?

Short Essay Questions

1. "Friendly People" begins with Mrs. Bryson telling Bill that all he did in his columns was make negative comments about the United States. He goes on to say there are a lot of things he likes about America. What are some of those things?

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

3. 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."

4. 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?

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

6. What does Bryson say about regional accents in America in the 1990s in "Dying Accents"?

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

8. In "The Risk Factor," how does Bryson explain that the average American is twice as likely to die accidentally as the average Briton?

9. 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?

10. "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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

To make memoir writing authentic, the author's personal presence must exist. Give five examples where Bill Bryson's personal presence is apparent. Choose two of the examples, and explain why you think he chose to make it so.

Essay Topic 2

Define what is meant by "style" in writing. Discuss what kind of style is used in traditional nonfiction, creative nonfiction, and novels. Which style was used in the writing of "I'm a Stranger Here Myself"? Support your answer with four examples.

Essay Topic 3

Define memoir as a literary genre. What elements of the memoir are found in "I'm a Stranger Here Myself"? Briefly outline the main points of Bill Bryson's experiences as they are described in the book. Discuss why you believe they are appropriate or not as inclusions in a memoir about a man returning to his country of birth after twenty years away.

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