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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. What is the name of the female character in A Book of Common Prayer which Didion discusses in "Why I Write" ?
(a) Charlotte Douglass.
(b) Emily Dickens.
(c) Lily Davis.
(d) Charly Dugan.

2. How old is Walter Davis' son in "Fathers, Sons, Screaming Eagles"?
(a) 9.
(b) 18.
(c) 14.
(d) 22.

3. 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 is unprofessional.
(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 will tell you what s/he truly thinks.

4. In "Telling Stories," what Hemingway short story does Didion mention as an example of a writer's "absolute control" (54)?
(a) "Snows of Kilimanjaro."
(b) "The Killers."
(c) "Hills Like White Elephants."
(d) "A Clean Well-Lighted Place."

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What year was Walter Davis from "Fathers, Sons, Screaming Eagles" stationed in Holland?

2. Why is the first speaker in "Getting Serenity" unable to sleep when she returned home after 5 a.m.?

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

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

5. In "Telling Stories," what does Didion say she did in English 106A to make herself invisible in class?

(see the answer key)

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