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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

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

3. In "Long Distance Runner," what argument does Didion cite when discussing how Richardson liked to be contrary?
(a) That all foreign films should be made in English.
(b) That all silent films should be overdubbed.
(c) That all black and white films should be colorized.
(d) That all of his films should be burned.

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

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

6. 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) Charlotte Douglass.
(c) Lily Davis.
(d) Emily Dickens.

7. Who wrote the script for "Hills Like White Elephants" discussed in "Long Distance Runner"?
(a) Didion and her husband.
(b) Didion and Richardson.
(c) Didion's husband and Tony Richardson.
(d) Jack Nicholson and Richardson.

8. 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) Time to write.
(c) A robust character.
(d) A structured outline.

9. What year did Tony Richardson die according to Didion in "Long Distance Runner"?
(a) 2000.
(b) 1989.
(c) 1999.
(d) 1991.

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

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

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

13. In "Some Women," what does Robert Mapplethorpe say is present in the way he arranges things for his photo shoots?
(a) His controlling parents.
(b) His laid back attitude.
(c) His obsessive nature.
(d) His catholic upbringing.

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

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

Short Answer Questions

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

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

3. 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?

4. What does Didion say she tried very hard to do while a student at Berkeley in "Why I Write"?

5. At the start of "Why I Write," Didion says that "writing is the act of saying" (42) what?

(see the answer keys)

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