View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. How was the first "drive-in" movie shown in New Jersey in the 1930's?

2. Bryson compares modern airplanes to _______________.

3. What does Bryson find the most "mind-numbing" feature of modern television?

4. Which decade saw the idea of the drive-in really take off?

5. What does Bryson fondly remember about highway travel when he was a boy?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

7. 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?

8. "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?

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. In "The Wasteland," what is Bryson criticizing? Name three points of his criticism.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Humor is an element of memoir writing that is often employed by authors. Why is it used? How can it enhance a memoir? What two types of humor does Bryson use in "I'm a Stranger Here Myself"? Give four examples of Bill Bryson's use of humor where you feel the pace and the theme of "I'm a Stranger Here Myself" has been enhanced by its use.

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

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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,361 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample