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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How long did it take William Faulkner to write "As I Lay Dying"?
(a) Six months.
(b) Six years.
(c) Six weeks.
(d) Ten years.

2. As explained by Dillard in Chapter 1, what must be done to a piece of writing after the first draft is finished?
(a) It must be mercilessly edited.
(b) You must strike it with a hammer.
(c) Delete just a few sentences.
(d) Nothing; it is done.

3. Finish this West African proverb from Chapter 2: "The beginning of wisdom is.."
(a) nature.
(b) to open a book.
(c) to get you a roof.
(d) listening to others.

4. According to Dillard, how do painters work as opposed to writers?
(a) Painters work with their hands, writers with their heads.
(b) Painters work from the ground up, writers from left to right.
(c) Painters work on a blank canvas, writers on a computer.
(d) Painters work with color, writers with black and white.

5. What does Dillard compare writing to in the first paragraph of the book?
(a) A dead end.
(b) Laying out a line of words.
(c) A path to pick through.
(d) An ordeal to be probed.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. When Dillard once wrote in a cinder-block cell, what scene did it overlook?

3. Who claimed to have written for twenty hours a day?

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

5. Jack London maintained that every writer needs a technique, experience, and what else?

(see the answer key)

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