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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Where in Las Vegas is the reunion Joan attends in "Fathers, Sons, Screaming Eagles"located?
(a) Caesar's Palace.
(b) El Cortez.
(c) Stardust Casino.
(d) Stargazers Casino.

2. What does Didion note that meeting attendees have an unusual knack for in "Getting Serenity"?
(a) Smoking constantly.
(b) Dates and numbers.
(c) Finishing each other's sentences.
(d) Making cake.

3. What is written on Frank L.'s cake in "Getting Serenity"?
(a) Nice Job, Frank!
(b) Miracles Still Happen.
(c) Happy Anniversary.
(d) Happy Birthday.

4. In "Pretty Nancy," where does Joan say Nancy went to college?
(a) Wellesley.
(b) Yale.
(c) Smith.
(d) Stanford.

5. Who do the San Simeon tour guides in "A Trip to Xanadu" tell the group still stays in the 21 room guest house?
(a) Hearst's daughters.
(b) Hearst.
(c) Hearst's sons.
(d) The servants.

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

7. What does Skip tell Joan about his son in "Fathers, Sons, Screaming Eagles"?
(a) He hasn't talked to him in years.
(b) He moved to Canada to avoid the draft.
(c) He has been missing since Mother's Day.
(d) He went AWOL.

8. 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.

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

10. Why does Didion say that underground newspapers are not truly underground in "Alicia and the Underground Press"?
(a) Because their offices are in tall buildings.
(b) Because the writers are professional journalists.
(c) Because the identity of the writers is known.
(d) Because they have a wide readership.

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

12. 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.

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

14. From where could people see the castle Didion discusses in "A Trip to Xanadu"?
(a) Highway 61.
(b) Highway 1.
(c) Highway 15.
(d) Highway 80.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. In 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," how many applications does Joan say the private kindergarten her friend was trying to get her child into received?

2. What does Didion say she has never read in an underground paper in "Alicia and the Underground Press"?

3. How many people does Didion write in "A Trip to Xanadu" visited San Simeon annually?

4. What does the newsman want Nancy to do as she answers the first question he asks her in "Pretty Nancy"?

5. Didion uses and example from what underground paper at the end of her essay "Alicia and the Underground Press"?

(see the answer keys)

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