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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does M.F.A. stand for?
(a) Master of Formal Academy.
(b) Master of Formal Architecture.
(c) Master of Fine Arts.
(d) Master of Fulton Academy.

2. What other author did Herman Melville have among his circle of friends?
(a) London.
(b) Conrad.
(c) Joyce.
(d) Hawthorne.

3. One of the favorite survival jobs of writers has in recent years been what?
(a) College teaching.
(b) Office clerks.
(c) High school teaching.
(d) Night auditing.

4. Who was the first editor to take interest in Gardner's work?
(a) Gerald Kimble.
(b) Jack Smith.
(c) James Growder.
(d) Bob Gottlieb.

5. Which writing teacher and author is famous for the energy and relative success with which he pushes his students' work at appropriate editors?
(a) Sean Howard.
(b) Robert Coover.
(c) Raymond Carver.
(d) James Dickinson.

Short Answer Questions

1. Gardner claims in Chapter 3 that rejection by an agent means more than rejection by a what?

2. What is one of the most important things for a young writer to have, according to Gardner in Chapter 2?

3. Where did David Segal go after New American Library?

4. What experimental writer does Gardner mention having been moved and delighted by in Chapter 2?

5. What word does Gardner use to describe that teaching which tends to emphasize theme and design over feeling and authentic narrative?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where does the author's manuscript go after he reviews the copywriter's corrections?

2. What does Gardner open Chapter 3 with, regarding the young writer's focus on publication?

3. What are some of the qualities that should make an aspiring writer leave a program?

4. What is the "best" way to sustain a living as a writer, according to Gardner?

5. What does Gardner say of supporting oneself as a writer in Chapter 3?

6. What does Gardner say regarding the study of philosophy and psychology?

7. What does Gardner say in the beginning of Chapter 2 regarding author education and state funding?

8. Describe some of the qualities of bad writing workshops in Chapter 2.

9. What brings the author feelings of virtue in Chapter 2?

10. What autobiographical experiences does Gardner relate regarding editors in Chapter 3?

(see the answer keys)

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