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

Short Answer Questions

1. According to Bryson, what makes up for the long New England winters?

2. Why does Bryson say he never ultimately drove the rental car he needed at the Boston airport?

3. In "A Slight Inconvenience," what does Bryson say about drive-through windows in restaurants?

4. Why was Bryson unhappy about a flight he and his family took from Minneapolis?

5. What February holiday does Bryson say is new to him on his return to the United States?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Deck the Halls," Bryson tells his readers that he is not looking forward to Christmas decorating. Why is this?

2. In "The Wasteland," what is Bryson criticizing? Name three points of his criticism.

3. "The Myteries of Christmas" compares American Christmases and English Christmases. How does Bryson compare the two holidays?

4. Find three examples from "The Great Indoors" that Bryson cites as reasons he thinks Americans spend too much time indoors.

5. In "The Flying Nightmare," Bryson compares modern air travel with air travel from his youth in the 1960s and 70s. List three points he makes.

6. In "Life's Mysteries," Bryson lists a very large number of things that he doesn't understand. What are four of these things?

7. In "Enough Already," Bryson says there is just too much of everything in America (except time, money, good plumbers, and polite people). What examples does he give to back this up? Why does he think it is not a good thing?

8. Bryson looks at obesity in "The Fat of the Land." Name three statistics he mentions in relation to obesity.

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is "creative license?" When is it commonly used? When should it not be used? In what instances is it permissible to use in creative nonfiction? Give examples. Cite three examples from "I'm a Stranger Here Myself" where you believe creative license was used.

Essay Topic 2

An anecdote can be defined as an interesting or humorous telling of an incident. It is often used in writing. As a memoir, "I'm a Stranger Here Myself" is structured as a collection of anecdotes in essay format. The author has chosen a number of incidents relating to his return to the United States. He weaves them together into a coherent whole that results in a memoir. Define an anecdote. What characteristics does it have? How does Bryson structure his anecdotes? Citing one of his anecdotes from "I'm a Stranger Here Myself," show how he structures the beginning, middle, and ending of his anecdotes.

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)

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