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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. What did Bryson say was a myth about childhood?

2. Who was Bryson's friend who lived across the alley and had good toys?

3. Where did the Brysons spend Christmas of 1960?

4. What was the name of the store where Bryson bought penny candy?

5. What publication did most boys need to rely on to seem partially clothed girls?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who was The Thunderbolt Kid?

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

3. What were some of the regulations about sex in the 1950s?

4. How did the Thunderbolt Kid get his powers and what were the circumstances of the Thunderbolt Kid getting his costume?

5. What was the ritual Bryson had with his mother every Friday evening?

6. What was Bryson's notion of how slowly time passed for kids?

7. How easy was it for Bryson to find somebody to play with?

8. What form of exercise did Bryson's father like to practice and what was an unusual location for his exercise routine?

9. What is the premise of THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE THUNDERBOLT KID?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Bryson wrote the book with an overall theme of a simpler life. Choose three situations from any of the stories and explain the uncomplicated life in each. How did Bryson view this simple life at the time? How did he view them as an adult?

Essay Topic 2

Create a character study of Bryson's parents. What were their physical characteristics? What were their motivations? What were their fears? What were their dreams? What else can you say about Bryson's parents?

Essay Topic 3

Why did Bryson choose to use the first person perspective for the stories? What does this point of view entail? What do you know about the characters and the plot lines that you would not know from a different point of view? What do you NOT know about the characters and plot lines based on this point of view?

(see the answer keys)

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