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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through The Great Indoors, Death Watch, In Praise of Diners, Shopping Madness, The Fat of the Land, Your New Computer, How to Rent a Car, The Wasteland, The Flying Nightmare and Enough Already.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What American kitchen convenience does Bill think is just wonderful?
(a) The blender.
(b) The garbage disposal.
(c) The dishwasher.
(d) The microwave.

2. Bryson says there are three types of stores. The first is where you cannot get anyone to help you, and the second is full of clerks who will not leave you alone. What does he say about the third type?
(a) All the clerks have just started working there and do not know a thing.
(b) No matter what you ask about, they say it's in "aisle seven."
(c) When you ask about something, the clerk has to ask the manager, who is never around.
(d) The clerks spend all their time talking to each other.

3. In "The Numbers Game," what does Bill say is beyond the comprehension of everyone?
(a) How tax money is spent.
(b) How much money huge sums really represent.
(c) How the government manages to get anything done.
(d) Why government workers get so many holidays.

4. Which American tourist attraction does Bryson describe as a "Total Indoor Environment"?
(a) Opryland.
(b) Yellowstone Park.
(c) Disney World.
(d) Las Vegas.

5. According to Bryson, what is the result of the "abundance of choice" in America?
(a) A simple way of life.
(b) A lot of rich business owners.
(c) A lot of happy people.
(d) A lot of time wasted.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Highway Diversions," how does Bryson like to pass the time when he is driving on the highway?

2. What does Bryson comment on as being a strange development in the world of exercise?

3. How many "new" consumer products does Bryson say are launched every year in the United States?

4. When looking for a place to live in the United States, what was the only thing Bryson liked about Adams, Massachusetts?

5. What does Bryson find the most "mind-numbing" feature of modern television?

(see the answer key)

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