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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. In "Why I Write," Didion refers to writing as "the tactic of a secret" what?
(a) Genius.
(b) Snob.
(c) Introvert.
(d) Bully.

3. Didion says that one of the pictures in her mind when she began her novel Play it as It Lays came from an incident in what city?
(a) Sacramento.
(b) Los Angeles.
(c) New York.
(d) Las Vegas.

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

5. Which Hemingway novel is quoted at the start of "Last Words"?
(a) A Moveable Feast.
(b) A Farewell to Arms.
(c) The Old Man and the Sea.
(d) The Sun Also Shines.

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

7. In "Telling Stories," what does Didion say the writer of a short story needs to have that the writer of a novel does not?
(a) A clear idea of what her intentions are.
(b) A robust character.
(c) Time to write.
(d) A structured outline.

8. In "Last Words," what writer does Didion say she could see Hemingway's influence on while teaching at Berkeley?
(a) Gertrude Stein.
(b) William Faulkner.
(c) George Orwell.
(d) F. Scott Fitzgerald.

9. 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.

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

11. From whom does Didion say she stole the title "Why I Write"?
(a) Ernest Hemingway.
(b) George Orwell.
(c) Orson Wells.
(d) George Eliot.

12. Who does Didion say is the only woman Mapplethorpe photographed who came across as being "entirely in charge of herself" (62)?
(a) Yoko Ono.
(b) Grace Jones.
(c) Patti Smith.
(d) Joan Didion.

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

14. In "Why I Write," Didion says she writes to understand what sorts of things?
(a) Her fears and desires.
(b) Humanity.
(c) Other people's emotions.
(d) The universe.

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

Short Answer Questions

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

2. 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?

3. What is the name of the female character in A Book of Common Prayer which Didion discusses in "Why I Write" ?

4. What is something Didion felt her classmates in English 106A had that she did not in "Telling Stories"?

5. In "Telling Stories," how many stories does Didion say she had to write in her English 106A class

(see the answer keys)

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