View a FREE sample

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 implicit assertion about online writing does Foster make?
(a) It is nearly always lower quality than the writing in print sources.
(b) It is susceptible to fewer hidden biases and is therefore more objective.
(c) It is capable of presenting hard news in a more timely fashion than print media can.
(d) It is often more accurate and more engaging than print media.

2. In Chapter 7, "All in How You Look at Things," Foster tells us that changing the structure of a story changes its what?
(a) Topic.
(b) Genre.
(c) Length.
(d) Meaning.

3. Based on Chapter 2, "The Ecology of the Nonfiction Biosphere," how would Foster sum up the place of newspapers in today's world?
(a) Print newspapers may be obsolete, but online newspapers serve the same purpose.
(b) Because we have invested heavily in modern newspapers, they have grown in popularity.
(c) In a connected world, newspapers are simply irrelevant.
(d) Although they are losing popularity, they are still an essential form of news media.

4. In Chapter 1, "The Structure of Nonfiction Information," what does Foster say the first job of the writer is, on page one?
(a) To create a personal bond with the reader.
(b) To get the reader to page two.
(c) To be clear and concise.
(d) To tell the truth.

5. In Chapter 8, "Bringing the News," what reason does Foster give for journalists generally being proved correct despite public mistrust?
(a) Strategy.
(b) Intelligence.
(c) Stubbornness.
(d) Professionalism.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Chapter 6, "Source Code," Foster talks about the change in value over time of a reporter's eyewitness testimony. What does Foster call this change in value?

2. In Chapter 6, "Source Code," what does Foster call the "gold standard" of sources (63)?

3. In Chapter 2, "The Ecology of the Nonfiction Biosphere," Foster says that rules are determined by content, not codex. What does this mean?

4. In Chapter 3, "The Power of the Prologue," Foster mentions a "squib." What is a squib, in this context?

5. According to "The Building Blocks of Arguments," what are the "grounds" of a argument?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 470 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample