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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 what branch of the army was the second speaker in "Getting Serenity"?
(a) Air Force.
(b) Navy.
(c) Marines.
(d) Coast Guard.

2. Rather than being adversaries, Didion says that writers for mainstream newspapers are now what?
(a) Blacklisted.
(b) Bribed.
(c) Ignored.
(d) Confidants.

3. What is one of the newspapers that the author lists as one of the few that do not make her feel as though "the oxygen has been cut off from [her] brain tissue" (20)?
(a) The EastSide Reporter.
(b) The Wall Street Journal.
(c) The San Francisco Chronicle.
(d) The New York Times.

4. In "Why I Write," what does Didion say she "plays by ear" (44)?
(a) Guitar.
(b) Piano.
(c) Grammar.
(d) Saxophone.

5. What kind of talk does Didion find unsettling during the meeting in "Getting Serenity"?
(a) Talk of lying and stealing.
(b) Obsession with dates and numbers.
(c) Talk of miracles and Higher Powers.
(d) Talk of death and dying.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "A Trip to Xanadu," Didion says that San Simeon is "exactly the castle" (26) what type of person would build if that person were wealthy?

2. In "Alicia and the Underground Press," what does Didion feel the claim to have no bias in reporting leads to in writing?

3. In what year was Skip active in the 101st Airborne in "Fathers, Sons, Screaming Eagles"?

4. In "Telling Stories," what novel does Didion say developed from her notes that began about a man and woman in New York?

5. Who built the castle Didion discusses in "A Trip to Xanadu"?

(see the answer key)

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