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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 Bryson mean by the "wasteland"?

2. What was the "Millennium Bug" about, in regards to computers?

3. Why does Bryson have to buy a whole new computer and fax system when he returns to the United States?

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

5. What movie is Bryson describing at the beginning of "The Wasteland"?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. 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?

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

7. In "The Flying Nightmare," Bryson compares modern air travel with air travel from his youth in the 1960s and 70s. List three points he makes.

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Tone refers to the attitude of the narrator in a work. As the narrator of "I'm a Stranger Here Myself," what is the author's tone at different stages of the book? Explain the tone by using examples from the following events:

1) When Bryson first returns to America.

2) When he is frustrated with some of the challenges he faces in America.

3) When his son goes off to college.

4) When he is celebrating holidays in the United States.

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

Why do you think Bill Bryson included Essay 69, "An Address to the Graduating Glass of Kimball Union Academy"? What do you think his intent was? Discuss three points of advice that he included in his speech.

(see the answer keys)

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