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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. What is English 106A, the course Didion discusses in "Telling Stories"?
(a) A poetry workshop.
(b) A British Lit class.
(c) An American literature class.
(d) A writer's workshop.

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

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

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

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

7. 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 of his films should be burned.
(d) That all black and white films should be colorized.

8. What is one of the images Didion says many people have seen of Hemingway?
(a) Fencing bulls.
(b) Playing baseball.
(c) Riding in a rodeo.
(d) Drinking scotch.

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

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

11. 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) Sweden.
(b) Portugal.
(c) Panama.
(d) Colombia.

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

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

14. What was Didion suffering from which became one of the images used in her novel A Book of Common Prayer?
(a) Paratyphoid.
(b) Flu.
(c) Food poisoning.
(d) Norovirus.

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

Short Answer Questions

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

2. In "Telling Stories," what does Didion say many publications gave as a reason for not publishing "When Did Music Come This Way"?

3. What mandatory class did Didion need to take at Berkeley before she could graduate?

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

5. What year did Tony Richardson die according to Didion in "Long Distance Runner"?

(see the answer keys)

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