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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 kind of story does the author use as an example of how a story can suggest characters?
(a) Murder.
(b) Unwilling confinement.
(c) Space adventure.
(d) Natural disaster.

2. How does the author describe the act of creative writing in the Introduction?
(a) As an unlimited act.
(b) As a limited act.
(c) As a collaborative act.
(d) As a solitary act.

3. What must accompany self-sacrifice in an engaging character?
(a) Desperation.
(b) Sympathy.
(c) Reason.
(d) Mystery.

4. What does the contract between an author and a reader state?
(a) That the narrative will introduce more characters.
(b) That the narrative will introduce less characters.
(c) That the narrative will have a happy ending.
(d) That the narrative will reach a conclusion.

5. How does the author define an idea?
(a) What the reader is intended to understand and/or learn.
(b) What the reader is intended to learn, but not necessarily understand.
(c) What the reader is intended to understand, but not necessarily learn.
(d) What the reader is not intended to understand and/or learn.

Short Answer Questions

1. What type of reputation can a character have?

2. Which one of the following is not an example the author uses as a way to add emotional intensity to a character?

3. How well do readers want to know characters in a book?

4. Why should sources of inspiration be altered?

5. What kinds of situations can make a character more interesting?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the author mean when he writes about "raising the emotional stakes"?

2. What are some places that a writer can look to find the inspiration for characters?

3. How well do readers want to know the fictional characters they are reading about, and what is the purpose of fiction in general?

4. What techniques does the author describe in Chapter 3 about characters from unrelated ideas?

5. What is the difference between "walk-ons" and minor characters?

6. What is milieu and which types of stories feature it as the main narrative?

7. What are the main functions of major and minor characters, and how can a writer achieve them?

8. Which traits will trigger dislike for a character?

9. What is the contract that a writer makes with a reader, and when is it introduced?

10. What is a helpful tip about keeping track of character names that the author provides at the end of Chapter 4?

(see the answer keys)

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