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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Section 2: Chapter 5, "It May Just Be Me, But..." through Chapter 8, "Bringing the News".

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In Chapter 2, "The Ecology of the Nonfiction Biosphere," what does Foster say is the difference between "hard news" and "soft news"?
(a) Hard news is truth-focused; soft news permits some inaccuracy.
(b) Hard news is focused on statistics and data; soft news is focused on investigations and exposés.
(c) Hard news is focused on difficult truths; soft news is about making the reader feel good.
(d) Hard news is fact-focused, basic news gathering; soft news is generally lengthier and less objective.

2. In Chapter 7, "All in How You Look at Things," what does Foster cite as one of the main reasons that Americans have historically trusted the news media?
(a) The strict editorial control of content.
(b) Journalists' willingness to admit mistakes.
(c) Journalists' willingness to admit bias.
(d) The tendency of editors to insist on multiple sources.

3. According to Chapter 4, "The Parts You Don't Read," what are the sidebar discussions found in the book's back matter called?
(a) The index.
(b) Callouts.
(c) The appendix.
(d) Content notes.

4. In Chapter 6, "Source Code," what type of writing does Foster say relies heavily on eyewitness testimony?
(a) History.
(b) Journalism.
(c) Science.
(d) Op-eds.

5. In Chapter 8, "Bringing the News," one of the main points that Foster wants to make about All the President's Men is what?
(a) It is unusual for people to write about themselves in the third person.
(b) Woodward and Bernstein used too many anonymous sources.
(c) All the President's Men is a work of nonfiction.
(d) Woodward and Bernstein faced serious obstacles in investigating the Watergate story.

Short Answer Questions

1. Based on Chapter 2, "The Ecology of the Nonfiction Biosphere," how would Foster sum up the place of newspapers in today's world?

2. In Chapter 6, "Source Code," what consequence does Foster say the rise of the internet has had?

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

4. In Chapter 6, "Source Code," which is the only type of nonfiction that Foster says doesn't need "rock-solid" sources (69)?

5. In Chapter 1, "The Structure of Nonfiction Information," what does Foster mean when he uses the word "dichotomy"?

(see the answer key)

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