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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. To what does Dillard compare writing a book?
(a) Running a marathon.
(b) Climbing a long ladder.
(c) A reality television show.
(d) Learning to walk via crawling.

2. What did an inchworm search for in a panic in Chapter 1?
(a) A way in which to lift its hind legs to its front legs.
(b) The next part of a blade of grass it was climbing.
(c) A caterpillar.
(d) Its front legs.

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

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

5. Oftentimes, what part of Dillard's work must be edited out?
(a) The typos and misspellings.
(b) The opening paragraph.
(c) The best-written part.
(d) The dialogue.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. How long did it take William Faulkner to write "As I Lay Dying"?

3. What does Dillard say that the printed word cannot compete with?

4. What does Dillard compare writing to in the first paragraph of the book?

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

(see the answer key)

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