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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. Where does the image of putting an octopus to bed come from?

2. What does Anne say you have to get over, or you will not go far in your writing?

3. What does Anne believe allows us to see the individual person?

4. After a half hour of writing, how much material was generated from the school lunch assignment?

5. What does Anne say good writing is about?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the one-inch picture frame on Anne's desk put her in the mind to write a short assignment?

2. How does Anne state dialogue affects a reader?

3. Another of Anne's stories stems from the movie Stripes. The line is "Hey, lighten up Francis." How is this story helpful to her students?

4. According to Anne, how does knowledge of a character develop?

5. How does Anne warn against writing towards a climax or destination?

6. When Anne's students tell her they do not know where to start, she tells them to start with their childhood. How is this helpful?

7. How does Anne suggest writing about school lunches be beneficial for a writer?

8. How did Anne's article on the Special Olympics start off? How did it turn out?

9. How does Anne suggest we can free ourselves from perfectionism?

10. What does Anne suggest doing with the feeling of paranoia?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Ethan Canin says you should never write out of vengeance, while Anne says you should always write out of vengeance. These are two opposing ideas by two acclaimed writers. Who do you agree with and why?

Essay Topic 2

Anne likens the process of writing a first draft to a Polaroid picture developing. Compare and contrast the two.

Essay Topic 3

In Part 2, The Writing Frame of Mind, Section 1, Looking Around, Anne says that writing is about "learning to pay attention and communicate what is going on."

Part 1) Anne's father taught the prisoners of San Quentin to pay attention and write down their thoughts. At this time Anne was a young child, and thought it easier for her to write down what was going on. Why was it easier for her?

Part 2) How is the writer like the cheese in "The Farmer in the Dell?"

Part 3) As a writer, how should we look at the people around us in order to honestly recognize who they are?

(see the answer keys)

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