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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 does this inccident define to Didion?

2. What does the mother tell her brother?

3. Where does Didion find a good job?

4. What job did Didion's great-great-grandfather do in Hawaii?

5. Who happened upon the accident?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Didion's time in Guaymas.

2. Why is Hawaii important to Didion?

3. Why does Didion decide to move to Los Angeles?

4. Summarize the book.

5. What does Didion think of Newport Beach?

6. Describe Alcatraz Island as depicted in this essay.

7. Describe the movie on which Didion bases this essay.

8. What does Didion think of the old Hollywood?

9. What problems does Didion face when she and her husband visit her family?

10. How does Didion feel when visiting Pearl Harbor?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write a 500-word essay addressing the following statement: None of Didion's peers challenge her beliefs and, because of that, her essays do not express any new ideas.

Essay Topic 2

Choose one of the following subjects to base a 500-word essay:

1) The hippie cultural influence on Sixties and Seventies America.

2) The true definition of moral behavior.

3) The importance of an extended family.

Essay Topic 3

Examine the book as a whole.

1) What is the central argument of the book?

2) How are the essays arranged to construct this argument?

(see the answer keys)

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