View a FREE sample

This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Section 4: Chapter 13,"On the Stump" through Chapter 15, "Reading Internet Sources".

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In Chapter 14, "The Universe of Ideas/Ideas of the Universe," what does Foster say is true about contemporary America?
(a) Americans are educated to read science critically.
(b) Many Americans are antiscientific.
(c) America is the most scientifically advanced nation on earth.
(d) There is not much great science writing going on in America today.

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) The spelling "foreward" is a British spelling, like "flavour," and is therefore an accepted alternate spelling.
(b) Foster is using an unconventional spelling to draw attention to the idea "fore," which means "ahead."
(c) Without the "e," the word means a direction; with the "e," it means a piece of writing that comes ahead of another.
(d) This is a proofreading error in the text.

3. In Chapter 1, "The Structure of Nonfiction Information," Foster introduces the term "structural design," saying that it is similar to which term related to fiction?
(a) Story plan.
(b) Narrative strategy.
(c) Storyboard.
(d) Plot structure.

4. In Chapter 5, "It May Just Be Me, But..." what does Foster say about disclaimers like "I don't dislike soccer" (52)?
(a) That it is good when authors clarify what ground is "neutral" to them.
(b) That it probably means the speaker actually does dislike soccer.
(c) That double negatives are generally used to disguise a lie.
(d) That this kind of phrasing often introduces counterclaims.

5. In Chapter 2, "The Ecology of the Nonfiction Biosphere," what does Foster call the rules governing different forms of nonfiction?
(a) Laws.
(b) Precepts.
(c) Grammar.
(d) Syntax.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Chapter 7, "All in How You Look at Things," Foster discusses Pollan's How to Change Your Mind as an example of what?

2. In Chapter 3, "The Power of the Prologue," what does Foster give as the basic meaning of "preface," "prologue," and "foreward"?

3. In Chapter 9, "Living the News," which work does Foster say is likely the first example of New Journalism?

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

5. In Chapter 5, "It May Just Be Me, But..." what does Foster say is true about quotes attributed to anonymous sources?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 449 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample