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

2. What word associated with Christmas does Bryson wonder about at the beginning of "The Mysteries of Christmas"?

3. According to Bryson, when was the first official Thanksgiving held in the United States?

4. In "A Slight Inconvenience," what does Bryson say about drive-through windows in restaurants?

5. When Bryson takes his family to one of the last drive-ins in the area, what is the experience like?

Short Essay Questions

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

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. 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.

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. 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.

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

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

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

9. "The Myteries of Christmas" compares American Christmases and English Christmases. How does Bryson compare the two holidays?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Define "the writer's purpose" and give four examples of different genres of writing. Explain the writer's purpose for each one. Apply the definition to "I'm a Stranger Here Myself" and discuss Bill Bryson's purpose in writing the memoir. If you think he has succeeded, give examples to back up your assertion.

Essay Topic 2

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.

Essay Topic 3

In reference to the organization of "I'm a Stranger Here Myself," discuss the following:

(1) Why are the events of the memoir arranged as they are?

(2) What moves the narrative along? Is it external action or internal conflicts? Or is it a combination of both? Support your answers with examples.

(see the answer keys)

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