View a FREE sample

This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. According to Styron, what is the greatest fallacy about suicide?
(a) That suicide is a painless way to go.
(b) The idea that there is one particular cause.
(c) That people only have to "buck up."
(d) That all depressed people commit suicide.

2. What did alcohol do for Styron that he considered positive?
(a) It kept him from catching illnesses.
(b) It made him feel high.
(c) It kept anxiety and his imaginings at bay.
(d) It helped him relax with his friends.

3. What events led to Abraham Lincoln suffering depression and even attempting suicide?
(a) The death of his mother when he was 9 and his sister 10 years later.
(b) His wife's infidelity.
(c) The Civil War.
(d) Slavery in the South.

4. What effect does the failure of medicines to act quickly have on the depressed person?
(a) It keeps them in a state of anxiety and hopelessness.
(b) They get better even though the medicines don't work.
(c) They give up and do something different.
(d) Many of them commit suicide.

5. What sort of people does Styron say is more prone to depression?
(a) Poor people.
(b) People with above average intelligence.
(c) Artistic people.
(d) People who have lost loved ones.

6. Why did Styron's publisher have to reschedule a photo session?
(a) Styron had only smiled in a few pictures but still looked as if in despair.
(b) Styron refused to come out of his room.
(c) Styron had left to go to Paris.
(d) Styron was in the hospital.

7. What three brand-name items does Styron use to destroy his diary?
(a) Cheez-its box, 3M tape, and Brawny towels.
(b) Viva towels, Scotch tape, and Post Raisin Bran cereal box.
(c) Diamond matches, Kingsford Charcoal lighter, and Viva towels.
(d) None, just throws it away in the garbage.

8. What term does Styron give to the loss of a parent or something early in life?
(a) Dark depression.
(b) Incomplete mourning.
(c) Insurmountable loss.
(d) Lifelong loss.

9. How does Styron indicate he was planning to die?
(a) He gathers a knife and some towels.
(b) He revises his will and tries to write a goodbye letter.
(c) He sends his wife away for a time so he would be alone.
(d) He dresses nicely for the person who will find him.

10. What happens when Styron's medicine is changed?
(a) He can't sleep at night.
(b) His depression deepens.
(c) His suicidal thoughts cease.
(d) He becomes violent and has to be restrained.

11. What does the depression and sense of hopelessness cause Styron to do?
(a) Write even more in an attempt to understand it.
(b) Go to bed for hours every day.
(c) Run away from his wife and home.
(d) Try to kill himself.

12. What does Styron say family and friends should continue to do for the depressed person?
(a) Watch them constantly to prevent suicide.
(b) Tell them to cheer up and get over it.
(c) Make them talk about their problems.
(d) Validate their worth and sense of self.

13. Which novel character does Styron compare himself with?
(a) Emma Bovary from "Madame Bovary."
(b) Lennie from "Of Mice and Men."
(c) Rhett Butler from "Gone With the Wind."
(d) Captain Ahab from "Moby Dick."

14. What is Styron's reaction to being admitted to the hospital?
(a) He feels safe for the first time since he became depressed.
(b) He is depressed about it.
(c) He is afraid his friends will desert him.
(d) He is afraid his wife will leave him.

15. What is a daily presence during the depth of Styron's depression?
(a) His wife.
(b) Death.
(c) His children.
(d) Tears

Short Answer Questions

1. Though depression tends to recur, what advantage do sufferers of recurrence have?

2. What is a probable reason that Styron's doctor or family don't suggest hospitalization for him?

3. What does Styron's psychiatrist recommend to him about the hospital?

4. What does Styron say about people who survive a depressive episode?

5. How does Styron explain his approach to his self-destruction?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 779 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample