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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which author would walk through the hills for seven or eight hours on end without a hint of fatigue?
(a) Dante.
(b) Nietzsche.
(c) Emerson.
(d) Stevens.

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

3. Who does Dillard say that she believes to be one of the most prolific writers who has ever lived?
(a) William Shakespeare.
(b) Edgar Allen Poe.
(c) Thomas Mann.
(d) James Patterson.

4. What does Dillard have to say about appealing workplaces for writing?
(a) Avoid drabness at all costs.
(b) Bright yellow paint on the walls is best.
(c) They are to be avoided.
(d) The lovelier the scenery, the better.

5. What does Dillard say many people prefer to the written word?
(a) Film.
(b) TV.
(c) Life.
(d) Recordings.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. When a writer is stuck while writing a book, what does Dillard think he should do?

3. What part of the body does the "line of words" in Chapter 1 invade?

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

5. Dillard refers to writing as changing "..from an expression of your notions to an epistemological tool." What does epistemological mean?

(see the answer key)

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