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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 2, "The Ecology of the Nonfiction Biosphere," what does Foster say is the difference between "hard news" and "soft news"?
(a) Hard news is fact-focused, basic news gathering; soft news is generally lengthier and less objective.
(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 truth-focused; soft news permits some inaccuracy.

2. In Chapter 7, "All in How You Look at Things," Foster says that which type of nonfiction is usually better off starting at the beginning chronologically?
(a) History.
(b) Reportage.
(c) Biography.
(d) Philosophy.

3. In Chapter 7, "All in How You Look at Things," Foster makes what point about newspaper articles?
(a) Almost all of them incorporate at least some cause and effect structure.
(b) They often use a cause and effect structure.
(c) They are often deviate from strict chronology in order to make a point.
(d) Almost all of them are written in strict chronological order.

4. 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?
(a) Challenging.
(b) Revealing.
(c) Uplifting.
(d) Unique.

5. In Chapter 1, "The Structure of Nonfiction Information," what does Foster mean when he uses the word "dichotomy"?
(a) A division between opposite things.
(b) A narrative told in the order in which events really happened.
(c) Something relatively unknown.
(d) The study of social policy.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Chapter 2, "The Ecology of the Nonfiction Biosphere," Foster calls a certain kind of reader the "cognoscenti." What kind of a reader is her referring to?

2. Based on Chapter 14, "The Universe of Ideas/Ideas of the Universe," what would Foster call a journalist writing about a biologist and her discoveries?

3. In Chapter 10, "From the Inside Out," which claim does Foster make about thesis statements?

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

5. "Flu cases are 100% higher this year" is an example of what problematic use of data discussed by Foster in "Interrogating the Text"?

(see the answer key)

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