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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. According to "The Building Blocks of Arguments," what is the implicit argument of most nonfiction writing?
(a) That the subject matter is important enough to read about.
(b) That the writer has the authority to write about the subject.
(c) That the reader should change their beliefs or behavior.
(d) That the writer's angle on the subject is the correct one.

2. In Chapter 5, "It May Just Be Me, But..." what does Foster say is true about quotes attributed to anonymous sources?
(a) There is never a good reason to use a quote from an anonymous source.
(b) There are likely to be good reasons for the source to stay anonymous.
(c) These quotes are often just the reporter's interpretation of a source's meaning.
(d) These quotes are often made up.

3. In Chapter 2, "The Ecology of the Nonfiction Biosphere," where does Foster say editorial content can usually be found in the newspaper?
(a) The last page or pages of the front section.
(b) Throughout most sections.
(c) At the very end of the last section.
(d) In its own section.

4. According to Chapter 8, "Bringing the News," at what level are most news stories written?
(a) The college sophomore level.
(b) The twelfth grade level.
(c) The ninth to eleventh grade levels.
(d) The fourth to sixth grade levels.

5. 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.

6. In Chapter 6, "Source Code," what does Foster say is an advantage of using data as evidence?
(a) It can be manipulated to make it say what the author wants it to say.
(b) The reader often isn't aware of whether the data is real or not.
(c) It is one of the only sources that people still believe in.
(d) It exists independent of our will and beliefs.

7. 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?
(a) The transfer of source validity.
(b) The price of detail.
(c) The decline of presence.
(d) The economy of information.

8. 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) Unique.
(b) Uplifting.
(c) Revealing.
(d) Challenging.

9. 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) Journalists' willingness to admit mistakes.
(b) The tendency of editors to insist on multiple sources.
(c) The strict editorial control of content.
(d) Journalists' willingness to admit bias.

10. In Chapter 2, "The Ecology of the Nonfiction Biosphere," what problem does Foster say can arise if readers do not understand the forms of writing?
(a) Readers may expect the wrong things from the form they are reading.
(b) Readers may have unreasonably high standards.
(c) Readers may be disappointed by the content of their reading.
(d) Readers may misunderstand the purpose of the form they are reading.

11. In Chapter 5, "It May Just Be Me, But..." what does Foster say is usually the difference between quoted anonymous sources and sources speaking "on background"?
(a) The only difference is actually whether the information is quoted or paraphrased.
(b) Quoted anonymous sources are more likely to be accurate than information obtained "on background."
(c) Reporters are not usually asked to verify information obtained in a quote, but they are supposed to double-check information given "on background."
(d) Background sources tend to be highly-placed officials, while anonymous sources tend to be leakers.

12. 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) Something relatively unknown.
(c) The study of social policy.
(d) A narrative told in the order in which events really happened.

13. In Chapter 2, "The Ecology of the Nonfiction Biosphere," what does Foster say is the point of having a variety of media sources?
(a) Depth of coverage.
(b) Time.
(c) Accuracy.
(d) Appealing to different readers.

14. In Chapter 4, "The Parts You Don't Read," what advice does Foster give about the copyright page?
(a) This page contains important information about where the author got pieces of information used in the text.
(b) This page is optional and readers should not expect to find it in every book.
(c) When reading as a part of research, never leave this page without recording the information it contains.
(d) This information is just a legal notice and most readers should just ignore it.

15. 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) Biography.
(b) Reportage.
(c) Philosophy.
(d) History.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Chapter 2, "The Ecology of the Nonfiction Biosphere," Foster calls an expression a "bromide." What is he saying about this expression?

2. In Chapter 8, "Bringing the News," Foster makes the point that during the Nassar scandal, the Lansing State Journal did what?

3. In Chapter 8, "Bringing the News," one of the main points that Foster wants to make about All the President's Men is what?

4. In Chapter 7, "All in How You Look at Things," Foster uses the Latin expression in media res. What does this expression mean?

5. In Chapter 3, "The Power of the Prologue," why is "foreward" spelled with an "e" instead of as we usually see it, "forward"?

(see the answer keys)

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