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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. In "Telling Stories," what short story does Didion discuss as an example of her lack of control in writing?
(a) "Telling Stories."
(b) "Home Sweet Home."
(c) "Leaving Home."
(d) "Coming Home."

2. Which of Joan's relatives does she show her college rejection letter to in "On Being Unchosen by the College of One's Choice"?
(a) Her sister.
(b) Her niece.
(c) Her cousin.
(d) Her daughter.

3. In "Some Women," Didion says that Mapplethorpe's photograph always exhibit a tension between what?
(a) Right and wrong.
(b) Masculine and feminine.
(c) Good and bad.
(d) Light and dark.

4. 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) Sonnets.
(d) Creative non-fiction.

5. What does Didion feel meetings such as the one she attended in "Getting Serenity" reinforce in people?
(a) The addict's passive view of his situation.
(b) The instinct to relive your story over and over.
(c) The desire to gamble.
(d) The belief they cannot recover.

Short Answer Questions

1. For what publication was Hemingway working when he would sometimes rewrite submissions for practice?

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

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

4. What is the name of the male character in A Book of Common Prayer which Didion discusses in "Why I Write"?

5. What wife of Hemingway's is mentioned at the start of "Last Words"?

(see the answer key)

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