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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 word associated with Christmas does Bryson wonder about at the beginning of "The Mysteries of Christmas"?
(a) Merry.
(b) Noel.
(c) A-wassailing.
(d) Yule.

2. What does Bill hate about flying now that he is back in the U.S.?
(a) Having to show photo identification at the airport.
(b) The snacks are terrible.
(c) The price of tickets.
(d) No meals are served.

3. Why does Bryson say he never ultimately drove the rental car he needed at the Boston airport?
(a) He did not have a valid driver's license.
(b) He could not find it.
(c) He would not buy insurance.
(d) A friend gave him a lift instead.

4. What does Bill find in the bottom of his refrigerator, a left over from his junk-food shopping with his wife?
(a) Popsicles.
(b) Toaster tarts.
(c) Lettuce.
(d) Breakfast pizza.

5. Why does Bill prefer the post offices in the U.S. to the ones in Britain?
(a) The buildings are clean and new.
(b) The U.S. postal charges are very low.
(c) Each town has one.
(d) The U.S. post offices only deal with mail.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Dying Accents," what is the name of the man who does carpentry around the Bryson house?

2. According to Bryson, when was the first official Thanksgiving held in the United States?

3. 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?

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

5. How much energy does Bryson say the average American uses compared to the average European?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 351 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample