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

2. Who does Bryson say designed the snowmobile?

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

4. In "The Great Indoors," what does Bryson say people in America have developed a dislike of?

5. What do the British celebrate on December 26th?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Bryson tell the reader about drive-in movies in "At the Drive-In"?

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

3. 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?

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

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

6. In "In Praise of Diners," Bryson talks about an old American institution that has almost disappeared, the diner restaurant. List at least three things he tells the readers about diners.

7. 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?

8. In "Life's Mysteries," Bryson lists a very large number of things that he doesn't understand. What are four of these things?

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

10. "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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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.

Essay Topic 2

What role does the Bryson family play in the memoir "I'm a Stranger Here Myself"? Are they as important to the narrative as the author and the environment? Give four examples where the other members of the family are central to the story-telling. Give four examples where the narrative is focused only on Bill and the community/the United States.

Essay Topic 3

What is satire? What is the point of satire and how should it be used? Give three examples of satirical writing that Bryson includes in his book.

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