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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. 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) At the very end of the last section.
(c) Throughout most sections.
(d) In its own section.

2. The section of this book called "What's Going on Around Here?" is what part of the book?
(a) The introduction.
(b) A foreward.
(c) A preface.
(d) An appendix.

3. In Chapter 2, "The Ecology of the Nonfiction Biosphere," Foster says that rules are determined by content, not codex. What does this mean?
(a) The rules for each form are determined by historical precedent, not by the topic under discussion.
(b) The rules for each form are determined by the purpose of the writing, not by traditions.
(c) The rules for each form are determined by the type of writing, not the physical format that is used to convey the writing.
(d) The rules for each form are determined by subject matter, not by the medium of transmission.

4. In Chapter 8, "Bringing the News," Foster makes the point that during the Nassar scandal, the Lansing State Journal did what?
(a) Devoted its resources fully to the story and stuck with it over a long period of time.
(b) Covered the breaking news and then allowed local magazines to take over coverage.
(c) Initially helped Michigan State University cover up the story but later pivoted to full coverage.
(d) Covered the scandal primarily as a sports story.

5. 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) When reading as a part of research, never leave this page without recording the information it contains.
(c) This page is optional and readers should not expect to find it in every book.
(d) This information is just a legal notice and most readers should just ignore it.

6. In Chapter 6, "Source Code," what does Foster say about the proliferation of online sources?
(a) They democratize media.
(b) They are often carefully sourced.
(c) They offer marginalized voices a chance to be heard.
(d) They make everything seem like nonsense.

7. In Chapter 7, "All in How You Look at Things," what does Foster say beginning writers often get too caught up in?
(a) Exposition.
(b) Dialogue.
(c) Description.
(d) Narrative.

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

9. According to "The Building Blocks of Arguments," what purpose do warrants serve?
(a) Warrants explain counterclaims.
(b) Warrants link claims and grounds.
(c) Warrants are like conclusions.
(d) Warrants provide evidence.

10. In Chapter 8, "Bringing the News," one of the main points that Foster wants to make about All the President's Men is what?
(a) All the President's Men is a work of nonfiction.
(b) Woodward and Bernstein faced serious obstacles in investigating the Watergate story.
(c) Woodward and Bernstein used too many anonymous sources.
(d) It is unusual for people to write about themselves in the third person.

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

12. 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?
(a) Snobbish readers.
(b) Young readers.
(c) Well-informed readers.
(d) Skeptical readers.

13. In Chapter 7, "All in How You Look at Things," Foster discusses Pollan's How to Change Your Mind as an example of what?
(a) Science writing that does not use chronological order.
(b) Why self-help books can use many non-chronological structures.
(c) Why self-help books are better off using a chronological structure.
(d) Science writing that begins in media res.

14. In Chapter 1, "The Structure of Nonfiction Information," what does Foster say is the purpose of the "four Ps?"
(a) To explain the structural design of the work.
(b) To establish the writer's credibility.
(c) To lay out the essentials of the work to follow.
(d) To fill the reader in on important context.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. In Chapter 5, "It May Just Be Me, But..." what kind of person does Foster say is likely to be biased?

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

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?

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

5. 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?

(see the answer keys)

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