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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 this essay about?

2. What does Didion begin to wonder?

3. What center does this essay address?

4. What did Cork originally want to do when he moved to San Bernardino?

5. How does Didion say she began to see herself?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Didion remember about the first movie in which she saw John Wayne?

2. Why is Joan Baez standing before the Monterey County Board of Supervisors?

3. How does Didion describe Las Vegas weddings?

4. What conclusion does Didion come to about her habit of writing notes?

5. Who is Michael Laski?

6. Why did the two runaways leave home?

7. What do you think is the overall message of this chapter?

8. Describe Howard Hughes' house

9. What reason does Didion give for self-respect being so important?

10. What is Didion's view on the center?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose one of the famous people Didion portrays in the book and examine his/her life. How does Didion represent him or her in the essay? Is this an accurate representation of this person?

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

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?

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