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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapters 6 and 7.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why doesn't Styron recognize Camus's depression?
(a) He didn't believe in depression at the time.
(b) Camus hid it very well because he was embarrassed by it.
(c) He had never experienced depression himself, so had no real clue.
(d) He didn't know Camus very well.

2. How does Styron feel about his Connecticut farmhouse?
(a) He thinks it needed lots of work.
(b) It feels ominous to him.
(c) He hates the house, preferring Martha's Vineyard.
(d) He loves spending time there.

3. During the dinner party, what does Styron do with his diary?
(a) He hides it from his friends and wife.
(b) He wraps it and throws it in the garbage.
(c) He reads portions of it to his friends.
(d) He gives it to a friend to publish.

4. According to Styron, why is the word depression so hard for people to accept?
(a) People can't understand what it means.
(b) It indicates a weak person.
(c) It has not been heard of before.
(d) It is the word for a hole in the ground, which is very demeaning for a name of a major illness.

5. What happens to Styron's writing as he descends into depression?
(a) It eventually becomes non-existent.
(b) He begins to write much faster and more productively.
(c) His writing doesn't make sense.
(d) He gets published much easier.

Short Answer Questions

1. What note does Styron want to copy for his goodbye letter?

2. What does Styron say is absent in depression that causes it to be so difficult to endure?

3. Which group of people have more incidence of depression than all others?

4. In the depth of his depression in Paris, what does Styron realize he would have to decide?

5. How does his diary represent his mental state?

(see the answer key)

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