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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

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

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

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

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What issue plagued Hemingway by the time he was at the height of fame according to Didion in "Last Words"?

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

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

4. From whom does Didion say she stole the title "Why I Write"?

5. In "Telling Stories," how many stories does Didion say she completed for English 106A?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Didion first think Run River was a story about, and what did it become?

2. What does Didion say of Richardson's often contrary behavior?

3. What example does Didion cite as proof that Hemingway did not want his letters to be published after his death in "Last Words"?

4. In "Telling Stories," how does Joan describe what she learned about writing while working at Vogue?

5. What does Didion say about the title for her talk "Why I Write" at the start? From whom did she steal the title and what did she like about it?

6. What surprised Didion after Richardson's death upon reading his manuscript?

7. What does Didion say about Yoko Ono in "Some Women"?

8. In "Last Words," what did Carlos Baker say with regard to why he thought it important to publish Hemingway's letters?

9. In "Telling Stories," what grade does Joan say she received in 106A, and why does she think she got that grade?

10. What examples from writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Didion's own work does she cite as examples of artist superstitions?

(see the answer keys)

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