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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 narrative should a storyteller use?
(a) Effective and involved.
(b) Effective and poetic.
(c) Effective and condensed.
(d) Effective and engaging.

2. What will many experienced authors claim about their characters?
(a) They were taken from life.
(b) They were taken from other literary works.
(c) They were inspired by history.
(d) They were completely invented for the story.

3. What do the two questions the author poses at the end of Chapter 2 add to a novel?
(a) Dramatic interest for the background of a character.
(b) Dramatic interest for the characters and events.
(c) Practical interest for the background of a character.
(d) Practical interest for the characters and events.

4. According to the author, what is the purpose of fiction?
(a) To give a better understanding of human mistakes.
(b) To give a better understanding of human nature.
(c) To give a detailed analysis of human mistakes.
(d) To give a detailed analysis of human nature.

5. How many basic types of characters are there?
(a) One.
(b) Four.
(c) Three.
(d) Two.

Short Answer Questions

1. What type of pain and suffering for a character causes the reader's emotional investment to expand?

2. How many different aspects of creative writing are there?

3. Which one of the following is not a powerful resource for finding characters listed by the author?

4. What kind of jeopardy can a character be placed in to evoke an emotional response from the reader?

5. What does the author hope to give writers who read the book?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the significance of a character's last name and why is that an important decision for a writer to make?

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

3. How does a writer create a strong initial impression for a character?

4. How does character factor into a narrative and why is it often a complex process?

5. How can a negative character become more intriguing?

6. What is the role of a major character?

7. What is the main point of Chapter 9, "The Hero and the Common Man"?

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

9. How can writers find characters within themselves?

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

(see the answer keys)

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