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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which novel character does Styron compare himself with?
(a) Emma Bovary from "Madame Bovary."
(b) Captain Ahab from "Moby Dick."
(c) Lennie from "Of Mice and Men."
(d) Rhett Butler from "Gone With the Wind."

2. What piece of music moves Styron to his breakthrough and hospitalization?
(a) Brahms's Alto Rhapsody.
(b) Beethoven's Fifth.
(c) Chopin's Funeral March.
(d) Halleluah Chorus.

3. What is the phenomenon in which young victims of loss harbor guilt and rage for their entire lives?
(a) Fear and anxiety.
(b) Incomplete mourning.
(c) Lack of bonding.
(d) Depression.

4. According to Styron, what is the greatest fallacy about suicide?
(a) That people only have to "buck up."
(b) That all depressed people commit suicide.
(c) The idea that there is one particular cause.
(d) That suicide is a painless way to go.

5. What is Styron's avoidance of death due to?
(a) The recognition he got from others.
(b) His writings and intellectual endeavors.
(c) His homage to his mother.
(d) His love for his wife.

6. For Styron, what do the black whirling stars of Van Gogh represent?
(a) Precursors of his plunge into dementia and self-annihilation.
(b) The everlasting nature of man's soul.
(c) The beauty of the night sky.
(d) The darkness of depression.

7. For Styron, what is the most devastating loss of physical functions?
(a) His ability to stay awake during the day.
(b) His sexual drive.
(c) His ability to sleep and lack of dreaming.
(d) His agility and interest in sports.

8. What does Styron do to try and stop the hopeless feelings?
(a) Clung to familiar items like glasses and pens.
(b) Take long walks in the woods.
(c) Drink huge amounts of alcohol.
(d) Get his doctor to give him more medicine.

9. What is the second stage of psychological development in depression?
(a) Physical pain.
(b) Euphoria.
(c) Suicide.
(d) Dependency.

10. As horrible as this hallucination is, what does Styron say about Bergman, who wrote the script?
(a) He wanted to show what depression looks like.
(b) He was a depressed person himself.
(c) That he had barely touched on the true horror of a depressed person.
(d) He was trying to scare depressed people.

11. What does Styron's psychiatrist recommend to him about the hospital?
(a) To plan on staying for a year in the hospital.
(b) To go to the hospital for treatment.
(c) To avoid the hospital at all costs.
(d) To go to a hospital in Paris so no one would know.

12. What is the hardest piece of writing Styron attempted during his depression?
(a) His goodbye letter.
(b) Poetry, due to its emotional nature.
(c) Any upbeat writing.
(d) He stopped writing altogether.

13. What did alcohol do for Styron that he considered positive?
(a) It made him feel high.
(b) It helped him relax with his friends.
(c) It kept anxiety and his imaginings at bay.
(d) It kept him from catching illnesses.

14. What does Styron say is the most important consideration in depression?
(a) Discovering what causes depressed people to commit suicide.
(b) Discovering how early diagnoses can be made or predicted.
(c) Discovering a cure.
(d) Discovering which medicines are most effective.

15. What two feelings does Styron experience as he planned his suicide?
(a) Despondency and fear.
(b) Terror and fascination.
(c) Love for his wife and hopelessness for himself.
(d) Hopelessness and despair.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Styron say he was betrayed the summer before he was hospitalized?

2. What does Styron call the condition of the person suffering unrelenting depression?

3. Why did Styron's publisher have to reschedule a photo session?

4. What does he think about art therapy?

5. Why are late afternoons so distressing to Styron?

(see the answer keys)

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