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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 do the imaginary business cards Bryson wants to hand out to New Yorkers say?

2. Why did Bryson's father choose to walk through the park at Gettysburg?

3. What does Bryson compare the quietness of Mackinaw Island to?

4. Who are the Melungeons?

5. How does Bryson feel about New York as an adult?

Short Essay Questions

1. In visiting Colonial Williamsburg, how does Bryson feel about tourism?

2. What did Bryson realize on a family trip when he witnessed a shooting?

3. Why doesn't Bryson mind bad service in restaurants?

4. What revelation about poverty does Bryson have in Vermont?

5. How does Bryson feel after visiting Gettysburg? Why?

6. Are the people of Roanoke, VA amiable to discussing the Melungeons? Why or why not?

7. Why are Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island more to Bryson's liking?

8. What has always been Bryson's reaction to inequality?

9. What is the unspoken connection with travelers?

10. How does Bryson imagine he should act in New York?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss who Bryson's audience is: who is he writing for? What are subtleties in his writing that imply an aim at a certain audience? Who is he trying to appeal to and why?

Essay Topic 2

What initiated Bryson's urge to travel was his desire to "be somewhere." However, what inspired this trip was tied to the death of his father and his desire to revisit youth. Discuss Bryson's complex relationship with home.

Essay Topic 3

Bryson regularly points out instances of segregation and bigotry, yet has some biases himself. Discuss Bryson's stance on bigotry and how he defines it.

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