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Autobiography of Mark Twain
Contributed by: Rodgers
  • 1. What was the primary format in which Mark Twain composed his autobiography?
A) Recorded as audio tapes
B) Typed on a typewriter
C) Written entirely by hand
D) Dictated rather than written directly
  • 2. When did Mark Twain start the composition of his autobiography?
A) In 1906
B) In 1910
C) In 1899
D) In 1870
  • 3. How many 'false starts' did Twain accumulate over the years?
A) 30-40
B) Over 100
C) 10-20
D) 50-60
  • 4. What was Twain's experimental conception for his autobiography?
A) To talk only about the thing which interests you for the moment
B) To write in chronological order
C) To avoid controversial topics
D) To focus solely on his childhood
  • 5. Who controlled Twain's papers after his death?
A) Clara Clemens, his surviving daughter
B) Albert Bigelow Paine
C) Bernard DeVoto
D) The Mark Twain Project
  • 6. Where have Twain's papers been held since 1971?
A) The New York Public Library
B) Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley
C) Library of Congress
D) Harvard University Library
  • 7. What did Twain reportedly consider in an interview with The Times in 1899?
A) A work that would be unpublished for a century
B) Creating a series of lectures
C) Writing a new novel
D) Publishing his autobiography immediately
  • 8. What was the purpose of Twain's instructions to future editors in 1904?
A) To publish immediately after his death
B) To outline a century-long plan for publications
C) To prevent any publication of his work
D) To compile his works into one volume
  • 9. Who was the first to attempt publishing Twain's autobiography?
A) Michael Kiskis
B) Bernard DeVoto
C) Albert Bigelow Paine
D) Charles Neider
  • 10. What year was the first volume of the Mark Twain Project edition published?
A) 1940
B) 1959
C) 2010
D) 1924
  • 11. How many volumes were planned for the complete autobiography by The Mark Twain Project?
A) Two
B) Three
C) Four
D) Five
  • 12. What was included in Volume 1 of the Mark Twain Project edition?
A) Letters from the Earth
B) Only the Ashcroft-Lyon Manuscript
C) Chapters from My Autobiography
D) Transcripts of autobiographical dictations and introductory material
  • 13. What did Twain express in a piece composed in December 1909?
A) His plans for another autobiography
B) His sorrow over the death of his youngest daughter and loss of incentive to write
C) His excitement about future projects
D) His decision to publish immediately
  • 14. What was the Ashcroft-Lyon Manuscript about?
A) His travels around the world
B) A letter to his family
C) Accusations of embezzlement against Isabel Lyon and Ralph Ashcroft
D) Twain's childhood memories
  • 15. Why did the 2010 edition of Twain's autobiography not enter the public domain by 2023?
A) Twain's will prohibited it from entering the public domain
B) It was never officially published
C) The text was incomplete and thus not eligible
D) It was published on microfilm in 2001, extending its copyright
  • 16. Who criticized the Mark Twain Foundation for extending copyright?
A) David Bollier
B) Michael Kiskis
C) Albert Bigelow Paine
D) Bernard DeVoto
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