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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How old is the man who speaks second in "Getting Serenity" who states that the city has "destroyed" (23) him?
(a) 75.
(b) 48.
(c) 18.
(d) 22.

2. From where does Didion receive a rejection letter in "On Being Unchosen by the College of One's Choice"?
(a) UCLA.
(b) Stanford University.
(c) Berkeley.
(d) Harvard.

3. What does Didion say she associates that word serenity with in "Getting Serenity"?
(a) Gardening.
(b) Peace.
(c) Death.
(d) Joy.

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) It was too light out.
(c) She had to go to work.
(d) She was replaying her game in her head.

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

6. What kind of talk does Didion find unsettling during the meeting in "Getting Serenity"?
(a) Talk of miracles and Higher Powers.
(b) Talk of death and dying.
(c) Talk of lying and stealing.
(d) Obsession with dates and numbers.

7. In "Alicia and the Underground Press," what does Didion feel the claim to have no bias in reporting leads to in writing?
(a) Honesty.
(b) Dishonesty.
(c) Clarity.
(d) Objectivity.

8. What does Didion say she did when she first read the college rejection letter in "On Being Unchosen by the College of One's Choice"?
(a) She cried.
(b) She did not really care.
(c) She tore the letter.
(d) She called her mom.

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

10. In "On Being Unchosen by the College of One's Choice," Joan dates a man who aspires to be what?
(a) A pro-golfer.
(b) An artist.
(c) A politician.
(d) A pro-wrestler.

11. How old is Walter Davis' son in "Fathers, Sons, Screaming Eagles"?
(a) 22.
(b) 18.
(c) 9.
(d) 14.

12. What is one of the words Didion uses to describe the way the Hearsts spend their money in "A Trip to Xanadu"?
(a) Frivolously.
(b) Conservatively.
(c) Responsibility.
(d) Flamboyance.

13. What term does Joan point out that her relatives uses when discussing where she sent her college applications?
(a) Ivy League colleges.
(b) Her colleges of choice.
(c) Her favorite colleges.
(d) Her ideal schools.

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

15. 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 cousin.
(b) Her niece.
(c) Her daughter.
(d) Her sister.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is signed as the Director of Admissions on the rejection letter Joan Didion discusses in "On Being Unchosen by the College of One's Choice"?

2. In "Alicia and the Underground Press," what does Didion feel a reader can be sure of when the writer allows their bias to exist?

3. What is written on Frank L.'s cake in "Getting Serenity"?

4. In what city in California does the meeting in "Getting Serenity" take place?

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

(see the answer keys)

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