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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. What did Cork suffer from on the night of October 7, 1964?

2. What reason do the two runaways give for leaving home?

3. What is the name of this essay?

4. What is Howard Hughes said to be buying up?

5. What does a person with self respect use their failings to do?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Didion think of Baez when she interviews her?

2. What inconsistencies did the police find with Lucille's story?

3. Why is Didion unsuccessful in speaking to the Malakoff Diggers?

4. How does Max live his life as a hippie?

5. Who is Michael Laski?

6. Why does Didion think it is important to work at self-respect?

7. Why did the two runaways leave home?

8. What conclusion does Didion come to in the Howard Hughes essay?

9. How did John Wayne react to the problems on set?

10. Why did Joan Baez become a performer?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Examine the books chronological setting.

1) What were the main concerns during the 1960s? How does Didion express these concerns?

2) In what ways do you think the essays' meanings would change if they were set in today's society?

Essay Topic 2

The essays are mostly set in California.

1) What meaning does California bring to the essays?

2) How different do you think today's California is from the California in the novel? How do you think the book's meaning would change if it were set in today's California?

Essay Topic 3

Compare one of Didion's early essays to one of her later essays. How do her ideas about life change? How has her writing style changed?

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