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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. Which Hemingway novel is quoted at the start of "Last Words"?
(a) A Farewell to Arms.
(b) The Old Man and the Sea.
(c) The Sun Also Shines.
(d) A Moveable Feast.

2. What wife of Hemingway's is mentioned at the start of "Last Words"?
(a) Hadley.
(b) Hildy.
(c) Holly.
(d) Henrietta.

3. 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 catholic upbringing.
(c) His controlling parents.
(d) His laid back attitude.

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

5. 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 structured outline.
(b) A robust character.
(c) Time to write.
(d) A clear idea of what her intentions are.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where is Didion working at the start of "Some Women"?

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

3. In "Telling Stories," what short story does Didion discuss as an example of her lack of control in writing?

4. In "Telling Stories," what does Didion say she learned to do in writing "When Did Music Come This Way"?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

6. What brief moment at the Riviera Casino in Las Vegas worked into her novel Play it as it Lays?

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

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

9. 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?

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

(see the answer keys)

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