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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. Who is the star of the Tony Richardson film Didion cites at the start of "Long Distance Runner"?

2. What is the name of the male character in A Book of Common Prayer which Didion discusses in "Why I Write"?

3. What year did Tony Richardson die according to Didion in "Long Distance Runner"?

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

5. In "Some Women," what word is Mapplethorpe said to dislike regarding his art?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Joan say she learned to do when writing "When Did Music Come This Way," and what did that story allow her to do after it was complete?

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

3. 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?

4. 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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 analysis of literary irony in Let Me Tell You What I Mean. Use direct examples from the following stories to support your analysis: "Pretty Nancy," "Long Distance Runner," and "Everywoman.com."

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay analyzing the symbolic significance of San Simeon in "A Trip To Xanadu." What did it mean to Joan as a child? How did it impact her life? What did it mean to others? What was it like for her and her niece to see it in person?

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