View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Where is the cloth mentioned in King's image located within the image?

2. Why does King miss his first year of school?

3. .What is the first specific item King states his book on writing will NOT be about?

4. What is the first thing King requests in the second chapter that his readers accept about writing?

5. Does King believe the reader see the image in the same way as the author?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did King learn to edit his work? Why was this important to the young writer?

2. King was a heavy drinker and addicted to cocaine. He believed that these two elements contributed to his creativity. In terms of the chapter, C.V., do you think his belief was justified? Why or why not?

3. How did King begin his career as a writer?

4. Can you explain how King created the character of Carrie and why he disliked her so?

5. In what ways is the rabbit on the table of symbol of King's belief in magic and telepathy? Explain in your own words.

6. What are some of the aspects of writing that King is not going to emphasize in the chapter, What Writing Is?

7. One of King's babysitters was particularly cruel. How might she have affected his later writings?

8. Based on the chapters, C.V., and What Writing Is, what ideas justify King's statement that writing is a serious job?

9. When King asks the writer to accept 'the magic of writing, but to take it seriously', what is he saying?

10. King opens the chapter, What Writing Is, with an image. What is the image and how is it described? In what ways is this image different from other images presented in books? What is King's motive in doing this? Do you think this is an effective way to allow the reader to see the scene? Why or why not?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When King says there are some elements of writing that are highly unexplainable, what is he trying to say? King also claims writing is magic. What evidence can you find in the book, On Writing, that writing is magic? Defend your answer with specific examples from the text.

Essay Topic 2

King is a prolific writer yet he mentions writer's block in several places in the book, On Writing. Do you think this has been a hindrance in King's writing? What judgment would you make about King's frustration with writer's block? Explain your answer.

Essay Topic 3

King mentions many elements as being important to good writing: limiting the use of adverbs, writing in the active voice instead of the passive voice, the use of speaker attributes other than said, and paragraph length. How would you prioritize these elements and why?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,078 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample