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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. When was the initial peopling of the Australian continent?

2. What desert habitat museum did Bryson visit?

3. What was the annual tourist count of Alice Springs at the time that Bryson visited?

4. What animal does an echidna resemble?

5. Which of the following happened to Aborigine children in an attempt to integrate them into white society?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. What rock formation fascinated both Bryson and Sherwin?

5. What was unique about the worms Bryson saw in a small museum?

6. How did Bryson and Sherwin spend their time while waiting out the monsoon in Cairns?

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

8. What unusual trees are important to Australia and where did Bryson walk among the tree tops?

9. What did Bryson report about the indiscriminate murder of Aborigines and the Myall Creek incident in particular?

10. How did Bryson wistfully end this book?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Create a "character" sketch of the city of Melbourne. 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 Melbourne? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

What is the point of view of this book? Why did Bryson use this point of view? Is it the only way the book could have realistically been written? How else could Bryson have used point of view to alter the rhythm of the book? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

Bryson is masterful at crafting literary descriptions for his readers. Choose a paragraph from the book which you find especially descriptive. How do you think Bryson was able to craft it the way he did? What is so appealing to you about the passage? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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