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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. In the style of what English Victorian writer does Didion begin Chapter 2?

2. Who visits the office where both Inez and Didion work in Chapter 4?

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

4. What is Didion's father's profession?

5. During their 1975 visit in Kuala Lumpur, who does Inez say she speaks to every night?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Carol Christian.

2. How does Didion characterize Jack Lovett's life?

3. Why does Inez Victor lash out at Janet's doctors in Chapter 12?

4. Why is Inez Victor confined to a room when she arrives in Hong Kong?

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

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

7. What is Paul Christian's attitude regarding the shooting?

8. How does the narrator's reading of papers in 1975 reflect her feelings about time?

9. Why does Billy Dillon not allow Inez to work with refugees?

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

In DEMOCRACY, calculated deception is necessary to the survival of political families. As such, Didion pointedly juxtaposes the reality of her characters' lives and the image they attempt to project to public. Write an essay, examining this juxtaposition in three parts:

Part 1) How is the Christian family viewed as a liability in the '72 presidential run of Harry Victor? How does the neo-colonial attitude of the Christians undermine the image that Victor is trying to cultivate?

Part 2) How does Billy Dillon's reaction to the Paul Christian shootings reflect a sense of desperate deception? In what ways does he attempt to spin the story to make Paul Christian seem like a victim after her murders his own daughter? What does this indicate about Billy Dillon's compassion?

Part 3) In what respect is Inez's abandonment of the Christian family with Jack Lovett represent the shattering of the PR illusion created by Billy Dillon? How does he react to this final betrayal?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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