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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who is the author of Let Me Tell You What I Mean?
(a) Alicia Didion.
(b) Joan Didion.
(c) Martha Stewart.
(d) Ernest Hemingway.

2. What type of flower does the TV newsman suggest Nancy pick in "Pretty Nancy"?
(a) Tulips.
(b) Roses.
(c) Rhododendrons.
(d) Daffodils.

3. Where does Joan begin taking classes after she was rejected from the college of her choice in "On Being Unchosen by the College of One's Choice"?
(a) Cal-Tech.
(b) Stanford.
(c) UCLA.
(d) UC Berkeley.

4. Why is the first speaker in "Getting Serenity" unable to sleep when she returned home after 5 a.m.?
(a) Her kids needed breakfast.
(b) She had to go to work.
(c) It was too light out.
(d) She was replaying her game in her head.

5. How old is Nancy's son in "Pretty Nancy"?
(a) 5.
(b) 23.
(c) 10.
(d) 17.

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

7. Didion uses and example from what underground paper at the end of her essay "Alicia and the Underground Press"?
(a) The Berkeley Barb.
(b) The East Village Voice.
(c) The Free Press.
(d) The Wall Street Journal.

8. What does Skip keep in his pocket in "Fathers, Sons, Screaming Eagles"?
(a) A medal from when he was in the war.
(b) A newsclipping about his son.
(c) A picture of himself during the war.
(d) A photo of his father from when he fought in World War I.

9. Who is Nancy's husband in "Pretty Nancy"?
(a) Ronald Reagan.
(b) Frank Sinatra.
(c) Richard Nixon.
(d) George Bush.

10. In "On Being Unchosen by the College of One's Choice," what does Joan say her friend was disappointed about in her 4-year-old's reference letters?
(a) Nobody mentioned her interest in art.
(b) Nobody mentioned how much money her parents made.
(c) Nobody mentioned her songwriting skills.
(d) Nobody mentioned she was potty-trained.

11. What are Didion and the TV crew there to observe Nancy doing in "Pretty Nancy"?
(a) Writing her memoir.
(b) Cooking for a dinner party.
(c) Helping her son with his homework.
(d) Whatever she would do on an average Tuesday morning.

12. Where did the second speaker in "Getting Serenity" first start gambling?
(a) Nevada.
(b) L.A.
(c) Vietnam.
(d) Atlanta.

13. What is Nancy's son's nickname in "Pretty Nancy"?
(a) First Mate.
(b) Captain.
(c) The Skipper.
(d) Gilligan.

14. In "A Trip to Xanadu," Didion says that San Simeon is "exactly the castle" (26) what type of person would build if that person were wealthy?
(a) A child.
(b) A man.
(c) A woman.
(d) A servant.

15. What is the name of the castle Didion discusses at the start of "A Trip to Xanadu"?
(a) The Sacramento.
(b) Saint Simone.
(c) Castillo del Sol.
(d) San Simeon.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where does Skip tell Joan he was stationed while in the 101st Airborne in "Fathers, Sons, Screaming Eagles"?

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

3. What grade does Joan get on the essay she wrote for her friend in "On Being Unchosen by the College of One's Choice"?

4. In what city does Didion meet Nancy in her home in "Pretty Nancy"?

5. What type of meeting does Didion cover in "Getting Serenity"?

(see the answer keys)

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