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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What issue plagued Hemingway by the time he was at the height of fame according to Didion in "Last Words"?
(a) Agoraphobia.
(b) Alcoholism.
(c) Depression.
(d) Poverty.

2. What did Tony Richardson begin doing years before his death for "something to do" between film shoots?
(a) Writing a collection of short stories.
(b) Working on a TV script.
(c) Painting.
(d) Writing a memoir.

3. For what publication was Hemingway working when he would sometimes rewrite submissions for practice?
(a) The Atlantic Monthly.
(b) Vogue.
(c) The New Yorker.
(d) Transatlantic Review.

4. In "Telling Stories," what does Didion say she did in English 106A to make herself invisible in class?
(a) Wore a hat.
(b) Wore sunglasses.
(c) Wore a dirty raincoat.
(d) Wore a black sweatsuit.

5. In "Long Distance Runner," who did Richardson take to France when Didion and her husband were unable to join him?
(a) His daughters.
(b) Their daughter.
(c) Didion's brother.
(d) He went alone.

6. In "Why I Write," what does Didion say she "plays by ear" (44)?
(a) Guitar.
(b) Saxophone.
(c) Piano.
(d) Grammar.

7. What mandatory class did Didion need to take at Berkeley before she could graduate?
(a) Milton.
(b) Chaucer.
(c) Hemingway.
(d) Shakespeare.

8. In "Telling Stories," what short story does Didion discuss as an example of her lack of control in writing?
(a) "Telling Stories."
(b) "Home Sweet Home."
(c) "Leaving Home."
(d) "Coming Home."

9. How does Didion describe Richardson when in the act of filming a movie?
(a) Hopelessly disorganized.
(b) Serious.
(c) Distant.
(d) Deliriously engaged.

10. What did Hemingway undergo in February 1961 according to Didion in "Last Words"?
(a) A heart transplant.
(b) Shock treatment.
(c) Psychotherapy.
(d) Chemotherapy.

11. In "Telling Stories," how many stories does Didion say she completed for English 106A?
(a) 3.
(b) 0.
(c) 5.
(d) 1.

12. In "Telling Stories," what publication does Didion work for right after college?
(a) The Washington post.
(b) The New Yorker.
(c) Vogue.
(d) Ms.

13. In "Telling Stories," what novel does Didion say developed from her notes that began about a man and woman in New York?
(a) A Book of Common Prayer.
(b) A River Runs Through it.
(c) The Sacramento River.
(d) Run River.

14. In "Telling Stories," what does Didion say she learned to do in writing "When Did Music Come This Way"?
(a) Use imagery.
(b) Write in third person.
(c) Write in first person.
(d) Write with control.

15. What is the name of the female character in A Book of Common Prayer which Didion discusses in "Why I Write" ?
(a) Charly Dugan.
(b) Lily Davis.
(c) Emily Dickens.
(d) Charlotte Douglass.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who wrote the script for "Hills Like White Elephants" discussed in "Long Distance Runner"?

2. In "Telling Stories," what does Didion attribute to why she got a B in English 106A?

3. In "Long Distance Runner," what does Didion think is one of the reasons for Richardson's behavior?

4. In "Long Distance Runner," what argument does Didion cite when discussing how Richardson liked to be contrary?

5. In "Why I Write," Didion refers to writing as "the tactic of a secret" what?

(see the answer keys)

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