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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. What does Styron believe about a depressed colleague's decision to ride with a reckless driver?
(a) That his friend didn't have any choice about who to ride with.
(b) That he probably didn't know the driver was so reckless.
(c) That it was a form of suicide.
(d) That his friend didn't want to embarrass his friend by refusing a ride.

2. What pressing question does Styron have about the course of depression?
(a) Why would a person who has everything still be depressed?
(b) Why doesn't the person just cheer up and get over it?
(c) What medicines are effective?
(d) Why do some who suffered commit suicide while others don't?

3. Styron agrees with what literary guide's belief?
(a) Depression never causes suicide.
(b) Depression always leads to suicide.
(c) All men suffer from deep depression.
(d) Man's alienation from other men.

4. Though Styron admits all professions are susceptible to depression, which profession is the most susceptible?
(a) Artistic types.
(b) School teacherrs.
(c) Lawyers.
(d) Doctors.

5. According to Styron, who wrote about depression and seemed to really understand it?
(a) Dante.
(b) Chaucer.
(c) Camus.
(d) Gary.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who arranges a meeting between Albert Camus and Styron?

2. Who is the doctor from Johns Hopkins who gave the name depression to the disease?

3. Which group of people have more incidence of depression than all others?

4. What is Styron not able to recover?

5. What does Levi's suicide cause Styron to do?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the paradox Styron described about the hospital as opposed to his own home?

2. What are some of the ways Styron indicated he had thought of as a means to commit his own suicide?

3. What does Styron say about the causes of depression?

4. What did Styron have to say about hospitalization for depressed people?

5. What did Styron say was his most difficult piece of writing, and how did he describe it?

6. What did Styron say about someone being able to describe depression?

7. What about the hospital was conducive to Styron's rapid recovery after months of intense suffering?

8. What was Styron doing that was harming him, making his depression worse, though he thought it was helping?

9. Who did Styron say the depressed person was dangerous to, and why?

10. How did Styron begin preparing for his death?

(see the answer keys)

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