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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Literature was once considered solely as what?

2. What does it convey when anyone says he can write a book if he wanted to?

3. What is an example of a dead language?

4. Why do Americans have trouble writing?

5. What happens when a product of writing is never read?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why are thesauri so good for brainstorming?

2. What do all good writers do when it comes to improving?

3. Why do writers have a hard time starting at the "true beginning?"

4. Why are interviews so important to an article?

5. Who does Zinsser say are the worst writers guilty of clutter?

6. When is it acceptable for a new word to enter the English languages American Heritage Dictionary? Can you give an example?

7. How much information should a writer gather before writing a piece? Why is it important?

8. What are Zinsser's thoughts on the writing profession?

9. What is unity in writing?

10. Why does the English language change all the time? Can you give an example of a language that never changes and why?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How have you heard the Eiffel Tower described? Regardless of whether you've seen it or not, describe it a different way, positive or negative. Avoid cliches.

Essay Topic 2

What was your definition of literature before reading this book? Has it changed or is it the same? Explain why or why not.

Essay Topic 3

What do you think about Zinsser's point of view on the audience? Who does he feel is more important? Do you agree that a writer should ignore their potential audience and focus solely on pleasing themselves first? Why or why not?

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