View a FREE sample

This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 1.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How does Dillard describe the process of writing a book?
(a) "It is boring and difficult."
(b) "It is a dreamlike task."
(c) "It is something to avoid at all costs."
(d) "It is life at its most free."

2. What is needed in the world more than another excellent manuscript, as far as Dillard is concerned?
(a) Pollen.
(b) Shoes.
(c) Bees.
(d) Honey.

3. How did Washington writer, Charlie Butts, write fiction in order to gain momentum?
(a) He left every last written page in the middle of a sentence.
(b) He repeatedly left the house and wrote quickly upon return.
(c) He did not rise from his chair until writing 10 pages.
(d) He wrote while running mindless errands.

4. When Dillard is watching symbols move on her monitor, which sends back numbers to her, what is it her job to do?
(a) Go for a drive.
(b) Hold her breath.
(c) Translate the numbers.
(d) Stop immediately.

5. What part of the body does the "line of words" in Chapter 1 invade?
(a) The brain.
(b) The heart.
(c) The lungs.
(d) The soul.

Short Answer Questions

1. Oftentimes, what part of Dillard's work must be edited out?

2. Which insect is discussed in the book as part of an entomological experiment?

3. When Dillard relays a story about a cabdriver singing a boring song, why did the driver sing it twice?

4. In an analogy about a photographer, why did the photographer say he brought the same rejected photograph for judgment every year?

5. Under what circumstances did Rabbi Uri of Strelisk tell his family to dispose of his manuscripts?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 345 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample