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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Who is the star of the Tony Richardson film Didion cites at the start of "Long Distance Runner"?
(a) Al Pacino.
(b) Robert DeNiro.
(c) Arnold Schwarzenegger.
(d) Jack Nicholson.

2. What tennis player's behavior did Richardson say was "glorious" accordion to Didion in "Long Distance Runner"?
(a) Serena Williams.
(b) Andre Agassi.
(c) Arthur Ashe.
(d) John McEnroe.

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

4. What wife of Hemingway's is mentioned at the start of "Last Words"?
(a) Hadley.
(b) Henrietta.
(c) Hildy.
(d) Holly.

5. What is something Didion felt her classmates in English 106A had that she did not in "Telling Stories"?
(a) Humor.
(b) Wealth.
(c) Experience.
(d) Friends.

6. In "Telling Stories," what does Didion attribute to why she got a B in English 106A?
(a) Her teacher's disorganization.
(b) Her teacher's kindness and understanding.
(c) Her class participation.
(d) Her excellent writing.

7. 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) Painting.
(d) Working on a TV script.

8. In "Some Women," Didion says that Mapplethorpe's photograph always exhibit a tension between what?
(a) Masculine and feminine.
(b) Good and bad.
(c) Right and wrong.
(d) Light and dark.

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

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

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

12. In "Telling Stories," what does Didion say compelled her to try writing short stories again after 10 years?
(a) The fear she would not write another novel.
(b) Her interest in portraying a window into someone's world.
(c) Her boredom with long prose.
(d) A lack of ideas.

13. In "Why I Write," Didion says that the image that played into her story the most in Book of Common Prayer came from when she was at an airport in which country?
(a) Panama.
(b) Sweden.
(c) Portugal.
(d) Colombia.

14. Where is Didion working at the start of "Some Women"?
(a) Cosmopolitan.
(b) Mademoiselle.
(c) Lady's Home Journal.
(d) Vogue.

15. 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 sunglasses.
(d) Wore a hat.

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Some Women," what word is Mapplethorpe said to dislike regarding his art?

2. In "Telling Stories," what publication finally accepted Didion's story "When Did Music Come This Way"?

3. Where is the film The Border being shot at the start of "Long Distance Runner"?

4. In "Telling Stories," how many places had Didion lived by the time she took English 106A?

5. In "Long Distance Runner," where is Richardson filiming in 1989?

(see the answer keys)

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