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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

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

3. 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) A lack of ideas.
(c) Her boredom with long prose.
(d) Her interest in portraying a window into someone's world.

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

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

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

7. 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 please.
(d) A desire to provoke.

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

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

10. What did Hemingway undergo in February 1961 according to Didion in "Last Words"?
(a) Chemotherapy.
(b) A heart transplant.
(c) Psychotherapy.
(d) Shock treatment.

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

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

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

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. In "Telling Stories," what does Didion say she did in English 106A to make herself invisible in class?

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

3. In "Why I Write," what does Didion say she "plays by ear" (44)?

4. Where did Hemingway shoot himself in 1961?

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

(see the answer keys)

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