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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through "Why I Write," "Telling Stories" .

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In "Alicia and the Underground Press," what does Didion feel a reader can be sure of when the writer allows their bias to exist?
(a) You can be sure the writer will tell you what s/he truly thinks.
(b) You can be sure the writer's goal is to change your mind.
(c) You can be sure the writer will be dishonest.
(d) You can be sure the writer is unprofessional.

2. What mandatory class did Didion need to take at Berkeley before she could graduate?
(a) Hemingway.
(b) Shakespeare.
(c) Chaucer.
(d) Milton.

3. What does Nancy tell Joan is important to a man at the end of "Pretty Nancy"?
(a) Having a quiet place to work.
(b) Having a pretty wife.
(c) Having a pretty place to work.
(d) Having a home cooked meal waiting for him.

4. Where did the second speaker in "Getting Serenity" first start gambling?
(a) Nevada.
(b) L.A.
(c) Atlanta.
(d) Vietnam.

5. What does Didion say she associates that word serenity with in "Getting Serenity"?
(a) Death.
(b) Joy.
(c) Peace.
(d) Gardening.

Short Answer Questions

1. How many people are at the meeting Joan attends in "Getting Serenity?

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

3. In "Why I Write," what does Didion say she "plays by ear" (44)?

4. What does the newsman want Nancy to do as she answers the first question he asks her in "Pretty Nancy"?

5. What is Nancy's son's nickname in "Pretty Nancy"?

(see the answer key)

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