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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What animal, according to Dillard, is an analogy for characters in a writer's book "taking over"?
(a) A shark.
(b) The sea star.
(c) The lion.
(d) The caterpillar.

2. Saint-Pol-Roux used to hang what sign on his door while he slept?
(a) "Resting is writing."
(b) "Do not disturb."
(c) "The poet is working."
(d) "Dream in progress."

3. What do experienced writers urge young men and women to learn, according to Chapter 1?
(a) Word definitions.
(b) How to spell.
(c) Shakesperian plays.
(d) A useful trade.

4. Which insect is discussed in the book as part of an entomological experiment?
(a) A worm.
(b) A fly.
(c) Phataria.
(d) A butterfly.

5. What do television and films do to the body's senses, according to Dillard?
(a) They make the writer sense the need to write.
(b) Make connections.
(c) Stimulate them.
(d) Numb them.

Short Answer Questions

1. What did an inchworm search for in a panic in Chapter 1?

2. Where does the "line of words" go at the end of Chapter 1?

3. Who does Dillard say that she believes to be one of the most prolific writers who has ever lived?

4. What is needed in the world more than another excellent manuscript, as far as Dillard is concerned?

5. Dillard believes that some writers weaken their resolve to discard parts of their work. Why?

(see the answer key)

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