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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. How many "new" consumer products does Bryson say are launched every year in the United States?
(a) 2 million.
(b) 250,000.
(c) 25,000.
(d) 2,000.

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

3. In "On Losing a Son," why does Bryson decide to play baseball with his youngest child?
(a) He realizes the little boy is growing up.
(b) He thinks the boy has a chance to be professional.
(c) He wants him to learn an American sport.
(d) He is tired of working on his writing.

4. What does Bryson say the reason might be for being bewildered with modern television?
(a) He cannot follow the plot lines of the cop shows.
(b) His kids like to watch a lot of shows that are just junk.
(c) His eyesight and hearing are failing.
(d) In the America of his youth, and in England, there were only 4 channels.

5. What is Bryson's opinion about most American lawyers, according to "So Sue Me"?
(a) They overcharge for everything.
(b) They know the legal system very well.
(c) They are honest.
(d) They know very little about the legal system.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to Bryson, what does the Travel Industry Association of America say about shopping?

2. Bryson and his wife see their son off to a university. Where is the university?

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

4. What is Bryson astonished to find on his plane on a flight from Boston to Denver?

5. What do the British celebrate on December 26th?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "On Losing a Son," what does Bryson say his main activities are as a father sending his son off to college?

2. Bryson relates his sad tale of trying to rent a car when he went to the Boston airport in "How to Rent a Car." What are some of the problems he encountered?

3. "Highway Diversions" is Bryson's look at highway travel, which he says is very dull. How does he compare modern highway travel to the highway travel of his youth?

4. In "Ah, Summer!" what does Bryson say he likes about summers in New Hampshire? How does he compare them to summers in Iowa?

5. In "So Sue Me," what does Bryson say about American lawyers?

6. In "Hail to the Chief," Bryson looks at the American holiday of Presidents Day. Give three points about the day that Bryson mentions.

7. Bryson explains the joys of living in a snowy climate in "Fun in the Snow." How does he give the reader the impression that he is not a natural athlete?

8. In "In Praise of Diners," Bryson talks about an old American institution that has almost disappeared, the diner restaurant. List at least three things he tells the readers about diners.

9. In "Lost in Cyberland," what kind of adventures does Bryson have with technology in America?

10. "Your Tax Form Explained", what does Bryson satirize? Give three examples of how he does this.

(see the answer keys)

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