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. Which series of novels by Robert Parker are listed as an example of characters that are influenced to change?

2. In Chapter 11, what does the author state makes a character believable?

3. What will the writer have with more important characters and changes?

4. What is a Presentation perspective?

5. When is telling a story valuable to a narrative?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 18, how does the author describe the potential of a writer in finding characters?

2. How does the importance of a character affect the change undergone, and what effect does it have on the writing of the narrative?

3. What are some of the techniques for interjecting humor?

4. What choice must a writer make when using a first person narrative, and what should influence the decision?

5. What are some of the ways a writer can develop a story around characters that do not change?

6. What is the value of justification and how does a writer decide the amount to include in a story?

7. How can a presentation perspective and a representation perspective be successfully applied?

8. How do "showing" and "telling" affect the story?

9. What is comedy usually the result of, and what is humor based on?

10. How is the illusion of truth created?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

A writer can use a number of different techniques to define their characters.

1) Analyze stereotyping, its uses and application, and examples of how it can be used to introduce characters as well as develop them.

2) Describe a character's network and how it can be used to develop that character.

Essay Topic 2

Transformations are a key part to the emotional connection between a reader and a fictional story.

1) Explain how transformations can be misunderstood or feared, and why fiction is a way for people to feel less uncomfortable.

2) Describe the way a character can be transformed in fiction based on external events and characters or events that they have no control over.

3) Describe how characters can transform themselves, the reasons for this type of change, and which stories feature it the most.

4) Describe why it is possible for a character to go through a random transformation, the difficulties in writing it, and how they can be overcome.

5) Analyze the different techniques available to writers when developing a transformation in characters.

Essay Topic 3

Comedy contains various elements that work together to provide humor in sometimes unexpected situations.

1) Explain how a comedy is normally based on a form of pain or suffering.

2) Describe the way comedic characters and events are derived from a sense of truth and why.

3) Analyze the different techniques used to interject humor into a story, the way they are used, and at least 3 examples of them.

4) Describe what controlled disbelief is, which characters are the most likely to use it, and why.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,010 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample