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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 "Telling Stories," what does Didion say she learned to do in writing "When Did Music Come This Way"?
(a) Use imagery.
(b) Write in first person.
(c) Write in third person.
(d) Write with control.

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

3. What word does Joan use to describe the way things were back when she received her rejection letter compared to when she wrote What grade does Joan's friend get on the essay she wrote for him in "On Being Unchosen by the College of One's Choice"?
(a) Benign.
(b) Old-Fashioned.
(c) Intense.
(d) Silly.

4. What is the name of the male character in A Book of Common Prayer which Didion discusses in "Why I Write"?
(a) Vinny.
(b) Victor.
(c) Val.
(d) Van.

5. What does one meeting attendee tell Joan happens to kids upon the first time entering a gambling club?
(a) Most do not become addicted.
(b) He loses his money right away.
(c) They are so shocked they leave.
(d) He is hooked for life.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. In "A Trip to Xanadu," who does Didion say she took to tour San Simeon after it became a state monument?

3. How old is Nancy's daughter Patti in "Pretty Nancy"?

4. What does Nancy tell Joan is important to a man at the end of "Pretty Nancy"?

5. 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)?

(see the answer key)

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