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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. In what unusual place did Bryson's father practice his exercise?

2. Why did Bryson think he would never get to visit the location in #55?

3. In what ocean is the Eniwetok atoll located?

4. Bryson's favorite candies were almost always made of ______________.

5. How many children under the age of 12 were living in the mid-1950s in America?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What importance did comic books have in the lives of Bryson and most other kids in the 1950s?

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

4. Describe the events at the lake and why this was one of the best days of Bryson's life?

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

6. What behaviors did teenagers exhibit in the 1950s?

7. What was Bryson's mother's main personality quirk?

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

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

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

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

Explain Bryson's childhood growing up in Des Moines, Iowa, in the 1950s. What was his family life like? Who were his friends? What were his school experiences? How did these people and experiences form him into the adult he became?

Essay Topic 3

Create a "character" sketch of the city of Des Moines. 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 Des Moines? Explain.

(see the answer keys)

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