View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Although the GDP is seen as a positive in economic terms, how does Bill say it can be negative?

2. What does Bryson think is sad about how things are changing in modern Vermont?

3. What does Bill say is a strange feature of their car?

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

5. Bill is amazed that thousands of Americans end up in the emergency rooms every year from using certain things. What are they?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Bryson, who admits he "is no stranger to sloth," say about the walking habits of Americans in Essay 26, "Why No One Walks"?

2. 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.

3. 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?

4. In "Design Flaws" Bryson compares running shoes and his computer keyboard. What does he say about each one?

5. "Friendly People" begins with Mrs. Bryson telling Bill that all he did in his columns was make negative comments about the United States. He goes on to say there are a lot of things he likes about America. What are some of those things?

6. What does Bryson say about regional accents in America in the 1990s in "Dying Accents"?

7. Why does Bryson find going to a restaurant in the United States so difficult, as expressed in "What's Cooking"? How does he address the issue of the many varieties of food out there?

8. In "Coming Home" Bryson says he is "gamely assessing" the concept of not being able to go home again. What circumstances took him away from the United States in the 1970s? How did he spend the following two decades in England? What is his reaction on returning to the United States in 1996?

9. In "The Risk Factor," how does Bryson explain that the average American is twice as likely to die accidentally as the average Briton?

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

At the beginning of the memoir, in the Introduction and Anecdote 1 "Coming Home," Bill Bryson explains how he came to write the anecdotes that comprise "I'm a Stranger Here Myself" and the process by which he relocated his family in the United States. Define the component of the literary element of plot known as "exposition." What purpose does it serve in writing? Give four examples of Bryson's use of exposition in the Introduction and in Anecdote 1 that enhance the memoir.

Essay Topic 2

Define what is meant by "style" in writing. Discuss what kind of style is used in traditional nonfiction, creative nonfiction, and novels. Which style was used in the writing of "I'm a Stranger Here Myself"? Support your answer with four examples.

Essay Topic 3

In reference to the organization of "I'm a Stranger Here Myself," discuss the following:

(1) Why are the events of the memoir arranged as they are?

(2) What moves the narrative along? Is it external action or internal conflicts? Or is it a combination of both? Support your answers with examples.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,460 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample