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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What had Dillard forgotten all about as she worked on a Fourth-of-July night?

2. What does Dillard say that she feels a writer must do about feeling one's work in progress is either magnificent or abominable?

3. What did Dillard do one night in the rare book room of the Virginia library?

4. Which insect is discussed in the book as part of an entomological experiment?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. When the cab driver in New York sang songs with Dillard, why did he sing one dull song twice?

2. What decision did Dillard make to finally shut herself off from all distractions at the library carrel?

3. When Dillard heard a June bug bumping up against the carrel window one night, what did the noise bring her to realize?

4. Why does Dillard feel that an appealing workplace for a writer should be avoided?

5. How does Dillard describe the way in which a writer might start the process of writing a book?

6. Why does Dillard believe that putting together a book is interesting and exhilarating?

7. Dillard describes the scenes from her desk at the library in Virginia. Why does she say these scenes are detrimental to her work?

8. How does Dillard describe the line of words as being one's own heart?

9. What is the most appealing schedule that Dillard says she knows?

10. What is the meaning of Thoreau's note that "The youth gets together his materials to build a bridge to the moon, or perchance a palace or temple on the earth, and at length the middle-aged man concludes to build a wood-shed with them"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Dillard has problems with her writing throughout the book. She cannot concentrate, gets distracted, and cannot produce anything on some days. How did Dillard overcome her problems? What led her to better understand herself and the work she does?

Essay Topic 2

Which of the metaphors in Chapter 1 likens Dillard to an explorer searching out new realms without really understanding the meaning of it all as yet? Does this metaphor work? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Describe Dillard's reasoning behind why it makes more sense to write one long book rather than many stories or essays. Use the comparison of book chapters to short stories in your explanation.

(see the answer keys)

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