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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. Who does Didion say mainstream writers dine with at the end of "Alicia and the Underground Press"?
(a) Howard Hughes.
(b) Harrison Ford.
(c) President Kennedy.
(d) Henry Ford.

3. 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) Redford K. Barboza.
(b) Robert J. Snider.
(c) Rixford K. Snyder.
(d) Rex P. Smith.

4. What year was Walter Davis from "Fathers, Sons, Screaming Eagles" stationed in Holland?
(a) 1963.
(b) 1952.
(c) 1921.
(d) 1944.

5. 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) 22.
(d) 18.

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

7. What does the first speaker in "Getting Serenity" do before going out to the club?
(a) Drink 1/5 of vodka.
(b) Shoot up.
(c) Put her children to bed.
(d) Buy drugs.

8. Where is Skip's son stationed in "Fathers, Sons, Screaming Eagles"?
(a) Bastogne.
(b) Normandy.
(c) Vietnam.
(d) Pearl Harbor.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. In "On Being Unchosen by the College of One's Choice," what does Joan say her father did when she told him of her rejection letter?
(a) He told her he knew she would not get in.
(b) He told her she will never amount to anything now.
(c) He told her she should call the school and complain.
(d) He shrugged his shoulders and offered her a drink.

12. 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.

13. Among what other items does Joan's rejection letter sit in a drawer at her mother's house in "On Being Unchosen by the College of One's Choice"?
(a) Bridesmaid photographs and dried butterfly orchids.
(b) Junk mail and old keys.
(c) Joan's journals and publications.
(d) Dead batteries and outdated electrical cords.

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

15. What does Nancy tell Joan is important to a man at the end of "Pretty Nancy"?
(a) Having a home cooked meal waiting for him.
(b) Having a quiet place to work.
(c) Having a pretty wife.
(d) Having a pretty place to work.

Short Answer Questions

1. Though Didion agrees that writing in underground newspapers is often "amateurish and badly written," she disagrees with what sentiment?

2. What does Didion feel meetings such as the one she attended in "Getting Serenity" reinforce in people?

3. What are the underground newspapers Didion describes in "Alicia and the Underground Press" able to do that mainstream papers are not?

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

5. In "On Being Unchosen by the College of One's Choice," Joan dates a man who aspires to be what?

(see the answer keys)

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