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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How does Styron feel about his Connecticut farmhouse?
(a) He thinks it needed lots of work.
(b) He loves spending time there.
(c) It feels ominous to him.
(d) He hates the house, preferring Martha's Vineyard.

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

3. What does Styron want us to understand about those who commit suicide?
(a) That they were weak and couldn't handle pain.
(b) That they had no other way to escape.
(c) That they were always good writers.
(d) That secrecy and shame are not the right reaction.

4. What reaction to the op-ed piece causes Styron to decide to write this memoir?
(a) He learned his piece had saved someone's life, so wanted to reach out with more information.
(b) His editor asked him to write the memoir.
(c) People indicated they just didn't understand depression.
(d) The number of people reacting positively causes him to think sharing his experiences would be beneficial.

5. What does Styron say he will do with the prize money he won?
(a) Pay off all old debts so he could concentrate on writing.
(b) Retire early and write.
(c) Give most to charity but save a small portion for a personal matter.
(d) Give it all to charity.

6. How long does Stryon say it will be before he returns to Paris?
(a) A couple of years.
(b) A year.
(c) Forever.
(d) A month.

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

8. What does Styron realize in Paris that helps him understand what is happening to him?
(a) He begins to cry incessantly and realizes he is depressed.
(b) He can't talk to his wife any more.
(c) The circadian cycle gives him moments of brief respite from the deep depression, giving clarity of thought.
(d) He can't think clearly anymore.

9. What does Styron lose at the luncheon in Paris?
(a) His check for $25,000.
(b) His mind.
(c) His best friend.
(d) Control of his anger.

10. Where did Styron meet Hoffman?
(a) He had never really met him, only talked to him.
(b) At a writer's conference.
(c) At a democratic convention.
(d) At the del Duco award dinner.

11. How does Camus's essay about a prisoner on death row impact Styron's writing?
(a) It leads to his using a narrator on death row to tell the story in "Confessions of Nat Turner."
(b) It causes him to stop writing for a while.
(c) It gives him some ideas about stories he wants to write.
(d) It causes him to want to write much better than he felt Camus did.

12. Where does Styron spend his summers?
(a) At Martha's Vineyard.
(b) In Florida.
(c) In Paris.
(d) On his farm in Connecticut.

13. What happens to Gary's ex-wife?
(a) She disappeared and was never found again.
(b) She was killed by someone, probably Gary himself.
(c) She took an overdose of pills and her body was found in a car after several days.
(d) She shot herself.

14. How old was Styron when he published his first novel?
(a) 35.
(b) 15.
(c) 40.
(d) Mid-20's.

15. Why is Styron not worried about the loss?
(a) He knows he will be okay later.
(b) He knows his friend will be his friend again.
(c) He feels he is justified in getting angry.
(d) He is so depressed and lethargic that nothing matters to him.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is Styron not able to recover?

2. What does Styron say depression is like?

3. What puzzles Styron about Camus's book, "The Fall"?

4. What did Styron's friend, Abbie Hoffman, do professionally?

5. Who is Styron's literary guide?

(see the answer keys)

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