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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Section 3: Chapter 9, "Living the News" through Chapter 12, "That Is So Last Year".

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The section of this book called "The Books in the Book" is what part of the book?
(a) A preface.
(b) The introduction.
(c) An appendix.
(d) A foreward.

2. In Chapter 10, "From the Inside Out," why does Foster take the time to discuss the characteristic style of Barnes, Hitchens, and Robinson?
(a) To support his claim that there is an essayist for every kind of reader.
(b) To illustrate how different the voice and style of essayists can be.
(c) To demonstrate that Barnes is the least interesting of the three writers.
(d) To point out the "earnestness" of Robinson's writing.

3. In Chapter 12, "Life from the Inside," why does Foster think Ambrose chose Merriwether Lewis's perspective for his history Undaunted Courage?
(a) There are more primary sources about Lewis.
(b) It was Lewis that President Lincoln asked to undertake the journey.
(c) Many histories have already covered William Clark's perspective.
(d) Lewis is a more interesting figure.

4. In Chapter 11, "Life from the Inside," Foster points out that Ta-Nehisi Coates's Between the World and Me begins similarly to which other work?
(a) Dreams from My Father.
(b) Apologia Pro Vita Sua.
(c) The Year of Magical Thinking.
(d) The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.

5. In Chapter 2, "The Ecology of the Nonfiction Biosphere," Foster calls an expression a "bromide." What is he saying about this expression?
(a) It is insightful but wordy.
(b) It is unoriginal and unimportant.
(c) It is boring and mean-spirited.
(d) It is clever and concise.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to "The Building Blocks of Arguments," what purpose do warrants serve?

2. In Chapter 9, "Living the News," what does Foster say is responsible for Didion's characteristic style?

3. In Chapter 7, "All in How You Look at Things," Foster uses as examples two books that have the same subject matter--Fear, and Fire and Fury. What subject matter do these books have in common?

4. According to Foster in Chapter 9, "Living the News," what is McPhee's purpose in comparing geological change over time to a road trip?

5. In Chapter 3, "The Power of the Prologue," Foster uses the word "etymologically" to describe what?

(see the answer key)

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