View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In Chapter 5, "It May Just Be Me, But..." Foster says that a source's quote can be "emended" (55). What happens to an emended quote?
(a) It is verified.
(b) It is updated.
(c) It is withdrawn.
(d) It is shortened.

2. In Chapter 7, "All in How You Look at Things," what is the purpose of Foster's discussion of structure in Coming into the Country?
(a) To demonstrate that theme is dependent on detail.
(b) To show how chronological structure can be adapted to a particular message.
(c) To show that cause and effect structure can be used for narrative.
(d) To demonstrate the limits of chronological structure.

3. In Chapter 8, "Bringing the News," Foster maintains that types of newspaper writing like advice columns and human interest stories exist for what reason?
(a) Because they are traditional.
(b) Because readers can not live without them.
(c) To fill up space not needed for daily news.
(d) To sell newspaper advertising.

4. In Chapter 6, "Source Code," where does Foster suggest writers should gather information about historical figures?
(a) Newspaper archives.
(b) Biographies.
(c) Primary sources.
(d) History books.

5. In Chapter 2, "The Ecology of the Nonfiction Biosphere," Foster notes that the expectation for a writer to be engaging does not apply to which types of writing?
(a) Informational.
(b) Political.
(c) Academic.
(d) Technical.

6. In Chapter 5, "It May Just Be Me, But..." what does Foster say is true about quotes attributed to anonymous sources?
(a) These quotes are often made up.
(b) There is never a good reason to use a quote from an anonymous source.
(c) These quotes are often just the reporter's interpretation of a source's meaning.
(d) There are likely to be good reasons for the source to stay anonymous.

7. In Chapter 5, "It May Just Be Me, But..." what kind of person does Foster say is likely to be biased?
(a) Republicans.
(b) Uneducated people.
(c) Everyone.
(d) Older people.

8. What definition of "lede" does Foster give In Chapter 2, "The Ecology of the Nonfiction Biosphere"?
(a) A news item that also contains opinion.
(b) A counterclaim to the main argument.
(c) A brief summary of or tease for the event described in an article.
(d) A short introductory piece of writing by an author who is not the author of the longer piece that follows.

9. In Chapter 4, "The Parts You Don't Read," what is a piece of information that Foster says we can infer from the notes?
(a) The author's education.
(b) Potential biases.
(c) The intended audience.
(d) The author's purpose.

10. In Chapter 1, "The Structure of Nonfiction Information," what are the "four Ps" that Foster discusses?
(a) Problem, promise, program, and platform.
(b) Problem, proposal, program, and plan.
(c) Purpose, paraphrase, platform, and paragraph.
(d) Purpose, proposal, program, and plan.

11. In Chapter 5, "It May Just Be Me, But..." what does Foster say about offering a source the chance to correct themselves if they claim that they misspoke?
(a) This is part of the fair treatment of sources.
(b) This in unethical.
(c) This creates inaccuracies.
(d) This can make a story stronger.

12. In Chapter 5, "It May Just Be Me, But..." what does Foster say about disclaimers like "I don't dislike soccer" (52)?
(a) That it is good when authors clarify what ground is "neutral" to them.
(b) That this kind of phrasing often introduces counterclaims.
(c) That it probably means the speaker actually does dislike soccer.
(d) That double negatives are generally used to disguise a lie.

13. In Chapter 2, "The Ecology of the Nonfiction Biosphere," Foster says that rules are determined by content, not codex. What does this mean?
(a) The rules for each form are determined by the purpose of the writing, not by traditions.
(b) The rules for each form are determined by the type of writing, not the physical format that is used to convey the writing.
(c) The rules for each form are determined by historical precedent, not by the topic under discussion.
(d) The rules for each form are determined by subject matter, not by the medium of transmission.

14. In Chapter 2, "The Ecology of the Nonfiction Biosphere," Foster calls a certain kind of reader the "cognoscenti." What kind of a reader is her referring to?
(a) Snobbish readers.
(b) Skeptical readers.
(c) Young readers.
(d) Well-informed readers.

15. In Chapter 2, "The Ecology of the Nonfiction Biosphere," what does Foster say is the point of having a variety of media sources?
(a) Accuracy.
(b) Appealing to different readers.
(c) Depth of coverage.
(d) Time.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Chapter 6, "Source Code," Foster talks about the change in value over time of a reporter's eyewitness testimony. What does Foster call this change in value?

2. In Chapter 7, "All in How You Look at Things," Whome does Foster say is "our greatest living thinker about writing nonfiction" (81)?

3. In Chapter 6, "Source Code," what type of writing does Foster say relies heavily on eyewitness testimony?

4. In Chapter 3, "The Power of the Prologue," why is "foreward" spelled with an "e" instead of as we usually see it, "forward"?

5. In Chapter 6, "Source Code," what consequence does Foster say the rise of the internet has had?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 906 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample