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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 "Telling Stories," what does Didion say the writer of a short story needs to have that the writer of a novel does not?

2. In "Why I Write," Didion refers to writing as "the tactic of a secret" what?

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

4. What did Hemingway instruct his executors to do in a letter written a few years before his death?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Didion describe the public image and perception of Hemingway in "Last Words"?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about Didion's feeling about the underground press in "Alicia and the Underground Press." Use direct examples from the story that show the reader her views.

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay analyzing Didion's feminist commentary in "Everywoman.com." What aspects of the story come across as particularly feminist? How does this affect the narrative? Use textual evidence to explain your analysis.

Essay Topic 3

Write a detailed analysis of Didion's feelings in "Last Words" regarding the posthumous publication of Hemingway's works and letters. Use direct examples from the story that show Didion's feelings.

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