View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where was Bryson sent quite a bit as punishment?

2. Where did the Bryson family go in the new vehicle?

3. Where did the Brysons spend a night in a cheap hotel?

4. What nationality was the doctor who Bryson's parents took him to?

5. What killed the elm trees in Des Moines at the end of the 1950s?

Short Essay Questions

1. What were some of the unpleasant issues Americans faced in 1957 even though the Gallup organization claimed it was a very happy year?

2. What did Bryson learn about his parents that pleased him and how did this change his views of his real parentage?

3. Describe the scenario of sleeping on his grandparents' sleeping porch in the winter.

4. Describe the Audio Visual Club and why the boys were anxious to join.

5. What were Bryson's favorite books in school and why did he like them?

6. What were the weather extremes in Winfield?

7. What did the adult Bryson recall about what happened to his parents and friends?

8. How did the Bryson family end up staying in a hotel in Harlem?

9. Describe Riverview Amusement Park and why Bryson thought it was so awful.

10. What happened to The Thunderbolt Kid's sacred jersey?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Create a character study of Bill Bryson. What are his physical characteristics? What are his personality traits? What are his motivations? What are his fears? What else can you say about Bryson?

Essay Topic 2

Explain some of the examples of regionalism found in the book. Can regionalism include more than accents and food? What else encompasses the culture and personality of a region?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Bryson's writing style. How is he different from other writers of his time? What are some of his characteristic writing techniques? Identify some examples of his classic style in this book.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,036 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample