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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In "Pretty Nancy," what does Joan say Nancy's husband is the "definition of" (35)?
(a) Career Politician.
(b) Good Husband.
(c) Good Old Boy.
(d) Nice Guy.

2. 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"?
(a) Robert J. Snider.
(b) Rixford K. Snyder.
(c) Rex P. Smith.
(d) Redford K. Barboza.

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

4. What does Nancy say her husband never did even for the movies?
(a) Wore makeup.
(b) Wore new clothes.
(c) Smiled.
(d) Combed his hair.

5. 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 she was potty-trained.
(b) Nobody mentioned her interest in art.
(c) Nobody mentioned her songwriting skills.
(d) Nobody mentioned how much money her parents made.

6. In "A Trip to Xanadu," what is the name of the pool at San Simeon?
(a) Venus.
(b) Jupiter.
(c) Neptune.
(d) Saturn.

7. What grade does Joan get on the essay she wrote for her friend in "On Being Unchosen by the College of One's Choice"?
(a) A.
(b) C+.
(c) B+.
(d) B-.

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

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

10. In what city in California does the meeting in "Getting Serenity" take place?
(a) San Diego.
(b) Gardena.
(c) Sacramento.
(d) Hollywood.

11. Where is Alicia from "Alicia and the Underground Press" from?
(a) Ann Arbor.
(b) Detroit.
(c) Anchorage.
(d) Minneapolis.

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

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

14. What is the subject of the essay Joan's friend asked her to write for him in "On Being Unchosen by the College of One's Choice"?
(a) Hemingway's A Farewell To Arms.
(b) Milton's Paradise Lost.
(c) Shakespeare's Hamlet.
(d) Conrad's Nostromo.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What does one meeting attendee tell Joan happens to kids upon the first time entering a gambling club?

2. What does Skip tell Joan he is not to be mistaken for despite having a beard in "Fathers, Sons, Screaming Eagles"?

3. How does Nancy's son get home from school in "Pretty Nancy"?

4. 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"?

5. 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"?

(see the answer keys)

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