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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. Why couldn't Bryson and Sherwin swim in the cove next to their hotel?

2. Uluru is the Aboriginal name for what famous rock formation?

3. What type of creature was featured in small museum Bryson stopped at on the way back to Melbourne?

4. Where did Bryson and Sherwin's ferry dock?

5. What is the name of the cyclone that devastated the town of Darwin in 1974?

Short Essay Questions

1. What information did Bryson provide about how Australia came to be populated?

2. What did Bryson find so fascinating about the stromatolites at Sharks Bay?

3. Who joined Bryson for his next trip to Australia and how does their adventure begin?

4. Describe Bryson and Sherwin's adventure at the Great Barrier Reef.

5. What did Bryson learn from a journalist about the Myall Creek incident and how it is not even noted by most people?

6. What famous tree did Bryson and Sherwin see in the town of Daly Waters?

7. How has the Aborigine population dwindled from the time Europeans arrived to colonize Australia?

8. What is the story of the plane called Kookaburra and its role in the search for aviation legend Charles Kingsford Smith?

9. Bryson visited Glenrowan and learned about which famous outlaw?

10. What commitment did Bryson make to a foreigner while drunk at a pub in Daly Waters.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Create a "character" sketch of the city of Canberra. What personality shines through for you for this city? Did Bryson make you want to learn more and perhaps visit one day? What would you most like to see? What is the one fact or interesting feature that you can recall about Canberra? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

Give some examples of humor in the book. Do you think Bryson appreciates slapstick humor or wit of a more sophisticated nature or both? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Create a "character" sketch of the city of Perth. What personality shines through for you for this city? Did Bryson make you want to learn more and perhaps visit one day? What would you most like to see? What is the one fact or interesting feature that you can recall about Perth? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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