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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 February holiday does Bryson say is new to him on his return to the United States?

2. What is Bryson's opinion about most American lawyers, according to "So Sue Me"?

3. Who does Bryson say designed the snowmobile?

4. What surprising statistic does Bryson share about the number of lawyers in America?

5. What does Bryson say about New England in "Fall in New England"?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Hail to the Chief," Bryson looks at the American holiday of Presidents Day. Give three points about the day that Bryson mentions.

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

3. 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.

4. "The Best American Holiday," Bryson explains why he loves Thanksgiving so much. List three things that he enthuses about the holiday.

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is "creative license?" When is it commonly used? When should it not be used? In what instances is it permissible to use in creative nonfiction? Give examples. Cite three examples from "I'm a Stranger Here Myself" where you believe creative license was used.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

The setting refers to the time and the place where a story takes place. Compare and contrast the settings of "I'm a Stranger Here Myself." How does the United States to which he returns compare to the country he left behind in the 1970's? Cite at least three examples from the book where Bryson discusses how the setting, in reference to time, has changed.

(see the answer keys)

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