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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. How many nights does one of the speakers say he has been free from his addiction in "Getting Serenity"?
(a) 13.
(b) 365.
(c) 87.
(d) 1,223.

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

4. 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 she was potty-trained.
(c) Nobody mentioned how much money her parents made.
(d) Nobody mentioned her songwriting skills.

5. What does Skip tell Joan he is not to be mistaken for despite having a beard in "Fathers, Sons, Screaming Eagles"?
(a) A hippie.
(b) Unkempt.
(c) Santa Claus.
(d) An old man.

6. 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.

7. What is the full name of the man Joan is speaking with at the start of "Fathers, Sons, Screaming Eagles"?
(a) Skip Gilligan.
(b) Skip Skipperton.
(c) Skip Skivington.
(d) Skip Smitherton.

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

9. In "Pretty Nancy," Didion describes Nancy has having a smile of someone who did what?
(a) Married a politician.
(b) Grew up poor.
(c) Said something funny.
(d) Grew up in comfort.

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

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

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

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

14. According to Didion in "A Trip to Xanadu," in what year did San Simeon become a state monument?
(a) 1985.
(b) 1979.
(c) 2020.
(d) 1958.

15. 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 tore the letter.
(b) She cried.
(c) She called her mom.
(d) She did not really care.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "A Trip to Xanadu," who does Didion say she took to tour San Simeon after it became a state monument?

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

3. In what city does Didion meet Nancy in her home 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 term does Joan point out that her relatives uses when discussing where she sent her college applications?

(see the answer keys)

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