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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. Which friend of Hemingway and his wife does Didion mention at the start of "Last Words"?

2. In "Telling Stories," what novel does Didion say developed from her notes that began about a man and woman in New York?

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

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

5. Who wrote the script for "Hills Like White Elephants" discussed in "Long Distance Runner"?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. 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?

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

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

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

6. In "Some Women," what does Didion say about what artists do and do not like to talk about with regard to their art?

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

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

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

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay analyzing Didion's commentary on the Vietnam War in "Fathers, Sons, and Screaming Eagles." How is this war different from World War II, which Skip and Walt fought in during the 1940s? Do you know what Didion's thoughts are about the war? If so, how?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay describing the way Joan Didion comes up with ideas for her novels as discussed in "Why I Write" and in "Telling Stories." Where does these ideas come from? How do they manifest in the final product.

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