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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. 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) Writing a memoir.
(c) Working on a TV script.
(d) Painting.

2. In "Telling Stories," what Hemingway short story does Didion mention as an example of a writer's "absolute control" (54)?
(a) "A Clean Well-Lighted Place."
(b) "Snows of Kilimanjaro."
(c) "Hills Like White Elephants."
(d) "The Killers."

3. In "Some Women," what word is Mapplethorpe said to dislike regarding his art?
(a) Shocking.
(b) Boring.
(c) Outrageous.
(d) Unexpected.

4. Where did Hemingway shoot himself in 1961?
(a) Havana.
(b) Key West.
(c) Africa.
(d) Ketchum, Idaho.

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

6. What did Hemingway instruct his executors to do in a letter written a few years before his death?
(a) Edit his letters before publication.
(b) Leave all proceeds from publication to his family.
(c) Never to publish or agree to publish his letters.
(d) Complete any unfinished novels for publication.

7. In "Telling Stories," how many stories does Didion say she had to write in her English 106A class
(a) 15.
(b) 2.
(c) 12.
(d) 5.

8. In "Long Distance Runner," what does Didion think is one of the reasons for Richardson's behavior?
(a) A lack of interest in other people.
(b) A general disdain for others.
(c) A desire to provoke.
(d) A desire to please.

9. Where is the film The Border being shot at the start of "Long Distance Runner"?
(a) Hollywood.
(b) Colorado Springs.
(c) El Paso.
(d) New York.

10. What is the name of the male character in A Book of Common Prayer which Didion discusses in "Why I Write"?
(a) Vinny.
(b) Van.
(c) Victor.
(d) Val.

11. Who found Hemingway after he had shot himself in 1961?
(a) His son.
(b) His brother.
(c) His agent.
(d) His wife.

12. In "Telling Stories," what does Didion say many publications gave as a reason for not publishing "When Did Music Come This Way"?
(a) Its depressive nature.
(b) The flat characters.
(c) Its poor structure.
(d) Its lack of plot.

13. Which friend of Hemingway and his wife does Didion mention at the start of "Last Words"?
(a) Polly.
(b) Pam.
(c) Peggy.
(d) Pauline.

14. What does Didion say she tried very hard to do while a student at Berkeley in "Why I Write"?
(a) Think clearly.
(b) Think in abstracts.
(c) Think like her professors.
(d) Think more realistically.

15. What is F. Scott Fitzgerald quoted as calling Hemingway in a letter to Maxwell Perkins in "Last Words"?
(a) A real hack.
(b) A rising talent.
(c) The real thing.
(d) An okay writer.

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 say compelled her to try writing short stories again after 10 years?

3. In "Why I Write," Didion says she writes to understand what sorts of things?

4. How does Didion describe Richardson when in the act of filming a movie?

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

(see the answer keys)

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