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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. 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?

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

3. What is English 106A, the course Didion discusses in "Telling Stories"?

4. In "Telling Stories," what publication does Didion work for right after college?

5. In "Long Distance Runner," what word does Didion say Richardson often used when describing work?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. What does Didion say about the way she thinks, or does not think, at the start of "Why I Write"?

6. What character in A Book of Common Prayer developed from an image of the Panama airport at 6 a.m. that stayed in Joan's mind?

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

8. 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?

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

10. What does Didion say about the first paragraph of Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms in "Last Words"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about the author of Let Me Tell You What I Mean. Who is she? What else has she written? How is Let Me Tell You What I Mean similar or different from her previous works?

Essay Topic 2

Choosing 3 essays from Let Me Tell You What I Mean, write a detailed analysis of tone. Include whether the tone changes or remains the same. If it changes, include details on when, why and whether this change is effective.

Essay Topic 3

Choose 3 essays from Let Me Tell You What I Mean and write an essay about the significance of the time period for each essay. What commentary might the piece say about any significant event or belief of that time?

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