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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 "Last Words," what is Hemingway said to have done to his letters after Ford Madox Ford told him to "write a letter thinking of how it would read to posterity"?
(a) He rewrote all of his letters.
(b) He published his letters.
(c) He locked up all his letters.
(d) He burned his letters.

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

3. 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 dirty raincoat.
(c) Wore sunglasses.
(d) Wore a hat.

4. In "Telling Stories," what novel does Didion say developed from her notes that began about a man and woman in New York?
(a) The Sacramento River.
(b) Run River.
(c) A River Runs Through it.
(d) A Book of Common Prayer.

5. In "Telling Stories," how many places had Didion lived by the time she took English 106A?
(a) 12.
(b) 25.
(c) 2.
(d) 8.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which Hemingway novel is quoted at the start of "Last Words"?

2. What did Hemingway undergo in February 1961 according to Didion in "Last Words"?

3. In "Long Distance Runner," where is Richardson filiming in 1989?

4. In "Telling Stories," what does Didion say compelled her to try writing short stories again after 10 years?

5. In "Telling Stories," what Hemingway short story does Didion mention as an example of a writer's "absolute control" (54)?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Didion say about the Milton class she had to take in order to graduate from Berkeley?

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

3. Who is Tony Richardson and how is he described in the two pictures Joan discusses at the start of "Long Distance Runner"?

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

5. Where did Didion attend photoshoots in her story "Some Women," and what does she say she noticed about the most successful shoots?

6. Describe the scene from "Long Distance Runner" when Didion and her husband arrive at St. Tropez to pick up their daughter.

7. In "Why I Write," why does Joan say she writes?

8. In "Telling Stories," what class did Joan discuss taking as a junior at Berkeley and how did she feel in that class?

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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