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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. How did life in the 1950s make people feel?

2. Where could Bryson sneak a peek at the magazine in #78?

3. Where did Bryson grow up?

4. Where did the Brysons spend Christmas of 1960?

5. Where did the Thunderbolt Kid get his powers?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the only real danger in town and how did the Thunderbolt Kid take care of the situation?

2. What particular times were especially long for kids?

3. How easy was it for Bryson to find somebody to play with?

4. What importance did comic books have in the lives of Bryson and most other kids in the 1950s?

5. What behaviors did teenagers exhibit in the 1950s?

6. Who was the one girl that all the neighborhood boys wanted to see naked and how did Bryson miss out on this momentous occasion?

7. Who was Joseph R. McCarthy and what was his role in the fear of Communism that spread across America?

8. Name some of the things that showed that life was simpler and safer in the 1950s.

9. What were the results on children of the U.S. bomb testings and what happened when the tests were moved underground?

10. How did Bryson describe Des Moines and the area of the city where he lived?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Bryson is a master at dramatic devices. Choose an example of symbolism, metaphors, and irony, briefly describe them, and identify the technique which they embody.

Essay Topic 2

Create a "character" sketch of the city of Des Moines. 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 Des Moines? Explain.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,036 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample