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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What did Bryson keep for years just for the sake of conversation?
(a) Ball cards.
(b) Knee scars.
(c) Trophies.
(d) Comic books.

2. In what state did the military begin testing atomic bombs?
(a) Montana.
(b) Utah.
(c) Nevada.
(d) Arizona.

3. What did boys charge other boys for once they discovered them?
(a) X-rated movies.
(b) Porn magazines.
(c) Holes in walls where undressed women could be seen.
(d) Risque postcards.

4. What kind of kit did Bryson get for Christmas one year that was disappointing?
(a) Erector set.
(b) Chemistry set.
(c) Artist kit.
(d) Doctor bag.

5. What was a household item that people were buying in the 1950s?
(a) Espresso machine.
(b) Dishwasher.
(c) Toaster.
(d) Trash compactor.

Short Answer Questions

1. What disease was a major concern during the 1950s?

2. How did life in the 1950s make people feel?

3. What was another fear for people in the 1950s?

4. What was the area set apart in the grocery where kids could read while their parents shopped?

5. Who distributed fish tainted from the radioactive ash?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where did Bryson's father work and what were some of the perks of the job?

2. How did television change life for people in the 1950s?

3. Who was The Thunderbolt Kid?

4. What were the results on children of the U.S. bomb testings and what happened when the tests were moved underground?

5. Describe a typical experience of Bryson's family stopping to see his mother's family every time they went on vacation.

6. Who was Joseph R. McCarthy and what was his role in the fear of Communism that spread across America?

7. What other accessories did Bryson need to become the Thunderbolt Kid?

8. Name some of the things that showed that life was simpler and safer in the 1950s.

9. How did Bryson describe Des Moines and the area of the city where he lived?

10. What were some of the appliances that people in the 1950s were excited about owning?

(see the answer keys)

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