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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through "Some Women," "The Long Distance Runner," "Last Words" Part I.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Didion say she considered doing after receiving her rejection letter in "On Being Unchosen by the College of One's Choice"?
(a) Running away.
(b) Shooting herself.
(c) Overdosing on pills.
(d) Slitting her wrists.

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

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 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.

4. In what city does Didion meet Nancy in her home in "Pretty Nancy"?
(a) San Louis Obispo.
(b) San Francisco.
(c) Sacramento.
(d) San Diego.

5. Who built the castle Didion discusses in "A Trip to Xanadu"?
(a) William Randolph Hearst.
(b) William Butler Yeats.
(c) Henry Ford.
(d) Orson Welles.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. What is one of the words Didion uses to describe the way the Hearsts spend their money in "A Trip to Xanadu"?

3. Who does Didion say is the only woman Mapplethorpe photographed who came across as being "entirely in charge of herself" (62)?

4. What is the name of the castle Didion discusses at the start of "A Trip to Xanadu"?

5. Which of Joan's relatives does she show her college rejection letter to in "On Being Unchosen by the College of One's Choice"?

(see the answer key)

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