View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What are the underground newspapers Didion describes in "Alicia and the Underground Press" able to do that mainstream papers are not?
(a) They are able to speak indirectly to the reader.
(b) They are able to get through to the readers.
(c) They are able to sway the reader's opinion.
(d) They are able to contain their bias.

2. Why does Walter Davis feel his perspective on war has changed in "Fathers, Sons, Screaming Eagles"?
(a) He suffered with PTSD.
(b) He no longer believes in war.
(c) He has a son who may go to war in four years.
(d) He lost so many friends in a senseless war.

3. What style of writing does Didion compare Alicia's underground piece to in "Alicia and the Underground Press"?
(a) Haiku.
(b) Stream of conscious.
(c) Creative non-fiction.
(d) Sonnets.

4. Where does Didion say she used to eavesdrop on people's conversations thinking "it was a good way to learn about life" (23) in "Getting Serenity"?
(a) Restaurants.
(b) The Greyhound.
(c) The Post Office.
(d) The Airport.

5. What grade does Joan get on the essay she wrote for her friend in "On Being Unchosen by the College of One's Choice"?
(a) B+.
(b) B-.
(c) C+.
(d) A.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Telling Stories," how many places had Didion lived by the time she took English 106A?

2. What are Didion and the TV crew there to observe Nancy doing in "Pretty Nancy"?

3. What does one of the speakers in "Getting Serenity" say used to happen to him each time he passed Gardena?

4. What does Nancy tell Joan she does not believe in being at the end of "Pretty Nancy"?

5. What is English 106A, the course Didion discusses in "Telling Stories"?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 332 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample