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. What is a viewpoint narrator?

2. Which incidents in the story must the narrator be present for in order to make a first person narrative effective?

3. Which one of the following is an example listed in Chapter 12 of a transformation causing consequence that is beyond a character's control?

4. What is the benefit of an omniscient narrator?

5. What should the motives reveal when making a character more believable?

Short Essay Questions

1. What can contribute to a powerful sense of attitude for a character?

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

3. What creates believable characters, according to the author in, "The Serious Character: Make Us Believe"?

4. What are the most common tenses used in narration and how does the author describe the risks involved with using different ones?

5. In what ways can a character change him/herself?

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

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

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

9. What is the difference between first person narrative and third person narrative?

10. What is "controlled disbelief"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Although the sources of inspiration are unlimited, analyze the following three places that a writer can find ideas for new characters.

1) Describe all of the people, places, and events in a person's life that can provide ideas for characters.

2) Explain how writers can find new characters within themselves and how those characters can be applied to fiction.

3) Describe the process for finding new characters in the story itself as well as the past experiences of existing characters.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,014 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample