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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Bill find to be a difficult adjustment for him when he returns to the U.S.?
(a) He has forgotten American English.
(b) He finds it very noisy.
(c) He left as a young man and came back middle-aged.
(d) He cannot find what he wants in the stores.

2. After living in Britain for twenty years, what does Bill find refreshingly different about the United States?
(a) The weather.
(b) The fashions.
(c) The government.
(d) The informality.

3. Bryson likes his privacy. Where does he especially find there is a lack of privacy in America?
(a) In clothing store changing rooms.
(b) In telephone booths.
(c) On airplanes.
(d) In public washrooms.

4. In "How to Have Fun at Home," why does Bill think having your groceries bagged for you is not so great?
(a) He has to tip the bagger.
(b) He has to make conversation with the bagger.
(c) It makes him feel lazy.
(d) It doesn't buy him any quality time.

5. What particular product in American supermarkets fascinates Bill?
(a) Laundry soap.
(b) Cereal.
(c) Pet food.
(d) Meat.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Why Everyone is Worried," which federal agency is not doing a very good job, according to Bryson?

2. What did the town of Laconia, New Hampshire, have to do about its new sidewalks and benches in its town center?

3. Bill says the GDP is very hard to measure in modern times. What does GDP stand for?

4. Why does Bryson have an issue with the Internet?

5. Bryson nostalgically describes the movie theater where he grew up. Where is his home town?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "On the Hotline," how does dental floss become the topic of this essay? What is the outcome of Bryson's reading the fine print on his floss packaging?

2. What comparison does Bryson make between American baseball and English cricket in "Take Me Out to the Ballpark"?

3. In "A Visit to the Barbershop," how does Bryson convey that adjusting to the small town barbershop is difficult?

4. Bryson calls America "the ultimate shopping paradise" in "Consuming Pleasures." How does he support this statement?

5. Bryson has a nostalgic look at motels in "Room Service." How does he compare and contrast older motels with those of the mid 1990's?

6. How does Bryson compare late television in the U.S. to late time television in Britain in his "Drug Culture"? What does he say about the American approach to over-the-counter medicine from watching commercials for these products?

7. In "The War on Drugs," what examples does Bryson give to prove his belief about American drug laws being unfair?

8. In "How to Have Fun at Home,"which household conveniences are high on Bill's approval list? Why?

9. In "Rule Number 1: Follow All Rules,"what does Bryson use as an example of a rule that must be followed in America? How does he compare the devotion to order in the U.S. and Britain?

10. Bryson relates how his attitude to the informality and familiarity in American life seemed an irritant when he returned to the United States. For Essay 19, "Number Please," relate some of the ways he has encountered this informality in America.

(see the answer keys)

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