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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through "Some Women," "The Long Distance Runner," "Last Words" Part I.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In "Some Women," what word is Mapplethorpe said to dislike regarding his art?
(a) Outrageous.
(b) Shocking.
(c) Boring.
(d) Unexpected.

2. From whom does Didion say she stole the title "Why I Write"?
(a) George Orwell.
(b) Orson Wells.
(c) George Eliot.
(d) Ernest Hemingway.

3. How does Nancy's son get home from school in "Pretty Nancy"?
(a) Taxi.
(b) Nancy picks him up.
(c) A private car.
(d) Schoolbus.

4. What is one of the images Didion says many people have seen of Hemingway?
(a) Playing baseball.
(b) Drinking scotch.
(c) Fencing bulls.
(d) Riding in a rodeo.

5. In "Telling Stories," what publication finally accepted Didion's story "When Did Music Come This Way"?
(a) Esquire.
(b) Denver Quarterly.
(c) The New Yorker.
(d) Harper's.

Short Answer Questions

1. At the start of "Why I Write," Didion says that "writing is the act of saying" (42) what?

2. What does Didion say she considered doing after receiving her rejection letter in "On Being Unchosen by the College of One's Choice"?

3. What year did Tony Richardson die according to Didion in "Long Distance Runner"?

4. In "Some Women," what writer does Didion say is quoted as saying that talking about his novel was bad luck?

5. In "Telling Stories," what publication does Didion work for right after college?

(see the answer key)

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