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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Though Didion agrees that writing in underground newspapers is often "amateurish and badly written," she disagrees with what sentiment?
(a) That they are unnecessary.
(b) That they are biased.
(c) That they are interesting.
(d) That they are boring.

2. 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 sister.
(d) Her daughter.

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

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

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

6. 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.
(b) Hearst's daughters.
(c) Hearst's sons.
(d) The servants.

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

8. In "Pretty Nancy," what does Joan say Nancy's father did for work?
(a) He was a schoolteacher.
(b) He was a neurosurgeon.
(c) He was a musician.
(d) He was a politician.

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

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

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

12. In "A Trip to Xanadu," Didion says that San Simeon is "exactly the castle" (26) what type of person would build if that person were wealthy?
(a) A servant.
(b) A woman.
(c) A child.
(d) A man.

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

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

15. 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) An old man.
(c) Unkempt.
(d) Santa Claus.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is one of the words Didion uses to describe the way the Hearsts spend their money in "A Trip to Xanadu"?

2. 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"?

3. Where in Las Vegas is the reunion Joan attends in "Fathers, Sons, Screaming Eagles"located?

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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