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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. Which of the following actions is not a part of Inez's mantra of forgetting?

2. In what area's development does Dick Ziegler first make his money?

3. What drug does Inez catch her daughter Jessie using in 1973?

4. In her happy memory, where does Inez spend a day with her children while her husband is in Saigon?

5. When does Didion say is a good time for women in their forties?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is the helicopter engineer returning to Vietnam?

2. What are the circumstances surrounding Harry and Inez's wedding?

3. What are Jessie Victor's new plans for her career?

4. Describe the Paul Christian crime scene.

5. How does Jack Lovett first meet Inez Christian?

6. How does Billy Dillon get Frank Tawagata on his side?

7. How do the Victors deal with Jessie's heroin addiction?

8. What seems ridiculous to Billy Dillon about his conversation with Dick Ziegler?

9. What eventually occupies Inez's time while she is in Washington with Harry?

10. What cable is sent to Inez Victor on October 2, 1975?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Jack Lovett's reasoning is most often tied to a given military-political objective he has been given. Didion states that his greatest gift is the ability to view situations with a dispassionate eye. The only case in which this is not true, in which he skirts his duty, is regarding Inez Victor. In an essay, examine Lovett's relationship with Inez. How does his affection manifest itself prior to the Christian shootings? What role do these shootings serve in allowing him to make his move? What good deeds does he render to her, and how does his career allow him to do so?

Essay Topic 2

The actual plot of DEMOCRACY only begins about halfway through the novel. The preceding chapters provide reams of expository information and tantalizing clues as to what is to come. Write an essay analyzing the narrative structure of the novel. What does Didion achieve with the unorthodox structure? How does the first half of the novel prepare the reader for the plot to follow? What question does it raise? Are all of them answered by the end of the book?

Essay Topic 3

The story of DEMOCRACY is the story of Inez Victor's discovery of self. Write an essay about this process, how it occurs, and what Inez discovers through it. What is she forced to sublimate and sacrifice in her marriage to Harry Victor? After the shattering events of the narrative, how does she find peace and satisfaction? In what way is Jack Lovett instrumental in making this transition occur?

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