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. In "The Flying Nightmare," what job does Bryson say his father had?

2. What is Bryson astonished to find on his plane on a flight from Boston to Denver?

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

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

5. What does Bryson say about computer energy consumption at the beginning of "The Waste Generation"?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

At the beginning of the memoir, in the Introduction and Anecdote 1 "Coming Home," Bill Bryson explains how he came to write the anecdotes that comprise "I'm a Stranger Here Myself" and the process by which he relocated his family in the United States. Define the component of the literary element of plot known as "exposition." What purpose does it serve in writing? Give four examples of Bryson's use of exposition in the Introduction and in Anecdote 1 that enhance the memoir.

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

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)

This section contains 1,519 words (approx. 6 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample