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. What happened when Bryson fell asleep in the car?

2. Bryson listed some of the early expeditions sent by ___________ to explore the land.

3. What did Bryson and Hart do that most Australians never do?

4. What was an early name given to Australia by the Europeans?

5. Bryson is struck by a shop in Young offering pets and _______________.

Short Essay Questions

1. To what city had Melbourne lost ranking and commercial success?

2. How did Bryson find Adelaide to be in spite of what the locals said about it?

3. To what did Bryson compare the lush Barossa Valley?

4. What self deprecating behavior of Adelaide residents bothered Bryson?

5. What is the irony of people not knowing much about Australia?

6. What is the most recognizable feature in Sydney and what was Bryson's personal favorite?

7. How did Bryson and Hart travel through the desert and what historical thoughts did Bryson provide the reader during this time?

8. What fun did Bryson have with the world's biggest lobster?

9. What particularly fascinated Bryson about the train ride across the desert?

10. What did Bryson claim to have done that few Australians have ever done?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Create a "character" sketch of the city of Melbourne. What personality shines through for you for this city? Did Bryson make you want to learn more and perhaps visit one day? What would you most like to see? What is the one fact or interesting feature that you can recall about Melbourne? Explain.

Essay Topic 2

One of the most striking characteristics of Bryson's writing is his complete honesty. Explain why this is necessary to complete a book of this nature. Would a reader be able to see through fabrications and falsehoods in a book like this? Describe why this format is the perfect for Bryson's personality.

Essay Topic 3

At times it seemed as if Bryson were more interested in places and history than in the people he met in Australia. Why was Bryson in a fact-finding mode for this book? Were the people distractions to his true work? What is your opinion on how Bryson approached his method for digging for information to include in his book?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 822 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample