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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 does not like going to see Didion's family?

2. What does the wind increase the presence of in the atmosphere?

3. Where does Didion hear that an accident happened?

4. Which member of Didion's family went to Hawaii during the war?

5. What happens to people's temperaments just before the wind is about to blow?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Didion's upbringing in Sacramento.

2. What are Didion's thoughts about the island?

3. Why does Didion think no one can truly define what is moral?

4. Describe Didion's time in Guaymas.

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

6. How does Didion feel when visiting Pearl Harbor?

7. Describe Alcatraz Island as depicted in this essay.

8. Why is Hawaii important to Didion?

9. What is the theme of this essay?

10. What does Didion think of Newport Beach?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 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?

(see the answer keys)

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