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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapters 4, 5 and 6.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How long does the twilight linger on the island on Haro Strait in June and July?
(a) Until seven p.m.
(b) Until dawn.
(c) Until nine at night.
(d) Until nearly midnight.

2. Who once said about writing, 'Know your own bone'?
(a) Thoreau.
(b) Whitman.
(c) Ibsen.
(d) Truitt.

3. What does Dillard say she believes poets and novelists like?
(a) The thought of themselves as writers.
(b) Writers from the nineteenth century.
(c) Poems and novels.
(d) Books about writing.

4. Which author would only write poetry when he was '...rather out of health'?
(a) Jack London.
(b) A.E. Housman.
(c) Wallace Stevens.
(d) Osip Mandelstam.

5. How do Tibetan lamas keep from floating away, as described in Chapter 5?
(a) They walk very slowly.
(b) The meditate towards the destination.
(c) They wear chains.
(d) They swim with the current.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Dillard say that she believes may well be a writer's only firsthand experience?

2. What damage did the Smith-Corona typewriter do in Chapter 4?

3. Which religious sect did Dillard read about in the Virginia library?

4. What is the title of the Jack London book mentioned in Chapter 2?

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

(see the answer key)

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