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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapters 6 and 7.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What quote from Baudelaire does Styron use to explain his feelings?
(a) "Madness breeds madness."
(b) "I have felt the wind of the wing of madness."
(c) "Man's madness is his downfall."
(d) "Madness is but a figment of the imagination."

2. According to Styron, why is the word depression so hard for people to accept?
(a) It has not been heard of before.
(b) People can't understand what it means.
(c) It indicates a weak person.
(d) It is the word for a hole in the ground, which is very demeaning for a name of a major illness.

3. What is the term Styron uses to better describe what is happening to a person with depression?
(a) Mourning for loss.
(b) A weak psyche.
(c) A brain storm.
(d) A blue funk.

4. What happens to Styron's writing as he descends into depression?
(a) His writing doesn't make sense.
(b) It eventually becomes non-existent.
(c) He begins to write much faster and more productively.
(d) He gets published much easier.

5. What bothers Styron so much about not being able to meet Camus?
(a) It meant he had to go to his luncheon with Lady del Duco.
(b) It meant Camus couldn't hear about winning the award.
(c) Because it meant he barely missed getting to meet the man whose writing he so admired.
(d) It meant there was another suicide in his circle of friends.

Short Answer Questions

1. Styron agrees with what literary guide's belief?

2. What is the old term for depression?

3. How does his diary represent his mental state?

4. How does Camus's essay about a prisoner on death row impact Styron's writing?

5. What drugs does Styron's doctor give him that are NOT recommended for people with depression?

(see the answer key)

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