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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 2.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Where does Dillard say she wound up putting her pen drawing in Chapter 2?
(a) Taped to the venetian blinds.
(b) Between the pages of her novel.
(c) On the wall of the library.
(d) On her kitchen fridge.

2. When Dillard wrote in Roanoke, Virginia, what did she long for upon coming home after writing?
(a) A tolerant giant to soothe her.
(b) A dreamless sleep.
(c) Sleeping till noon.
(d) Cigarettes and coffee.

3. What was Dillard's study on Cape Cod?
(a) A former lighthouse.
(b) The public library.
(c) A small room in her home.
(d) A pine shed.

4. What famous author said, "The youth gets together his materials to build a bridge to the moon....and at length the middle-aged man concludes to build a wood-shed with them"?
(a) Walt Whitman.
(b) Thomas Mann.
(c) Henry Thoreau.
(d) Henry James.

5. How many hours of sleep would Jack London usually get?
(a) Two.
(b) Four.
(c) Seven.
(d) Eight.

Short Answer Questions

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

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

3. How did Washington writer, Charlie Butts, write fiction in order to gain momentum?

4. What did Dillard find herself doing in the rare book room nearly every day for about two weeks?

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

(see the answer key)

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