View a FREE sample

This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Section 5: Chapter 16, "Social (Media) Disease" through "Conclusion".

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In Chapter 12, "Life from the Inside," Foster calls Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation "pointillist" (179). What quality is he saying this book has?
(a) A focus on individual voices at the expense of institutional perspective.
(b) A focus on detail at the expense of continuity.
(c) A focus on the "big picture" at the expense of fine detail.
(d) A focus on immediacy at the expense of long-term perspective.

2. In Chapter 3, "The Power of the Prologue," why is "foreward" spelled with an "e" instead of as we usually see it, "forward"?
(a) Without the "e," the word means a direction; with the "e," it means a piece of writing that comes ahead of another.
(b) Foster is using an unconventional spelling to draw attention to the idea "fore," which means "ahead."
(c) This is a proofreading error in the text.
(d) The spelling "foreward" is a British spelling, like "flavour," and is therefore an accepted alternate spelling.

3. In Chapter 17, "The Criminal Element," what does Foster suggest that the ordinary reader do to guard against bad data?
(a) Read and analyze the study that the data comes from.
(b) Assume that all data is false.
(c) Wait for corroboration before believing new data.
(d) Assume that only data from expert sources is reliable.

4. In Chapter 9, "Living the News," which work does Foster say is likely the first example of New Journalism?
(a) In Cold Blood.
(b) The Armies of the Night.
(c) The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.
(d) Hell's Angels.

5. 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) The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.
(b) Apologia Pro Vita Sua.
(c) Dreams from My Father.
(d) The Year of Magical Thinking.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to Foster in Chapter 9, Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek is an example of what type of nonfiction?

2. In Chapter 8, "Bringing the News," Foster says that All the President's Men is sui generis. He is saying that this book is what?

3. In Chapter 16, "Social (Media) Disease," Foster calls online social connections a "vector" (267). The logical extension of this analogy is that the ideas people share on social media are what?

4. In Chapter 12, "Life from the Inside," why does Foster think Ambrose chose Merriwether Lewis's perspective for his history Undaunted Courage?

5. In Chapter 10, "From the Inside Out," Foster says that the placement of newspaper columns often creates a "dichotomy." What is he accusing them of doing?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 483 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample