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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In Chapter 13, "On the Stump," Foster refers to White House staff as "denizens" (190). What is the best definition of this word in this context?
(a) Children.
(b) Horrors.
(c) Caretakers.
(d) Occupants.

2. Based on Chapter 14, "The Universe of Ideas/Ideas of the Universe," what would Foster call a neuroscientist reporting on and analyzing recent developments in neuroscience?
(a) Interrogation of text.
(b) Journalistic compilation.
(c) Expert testimony.
(d) Amateur profiles.

3. In "Interrogating the Text," Foster says that readers should beware of ad hominem arguments. What he means is that readers should be suspicious when writers do what?
(a) Attack the people making arguments instead of the arguments themselves.
(b) Appeal to emotion rather than to logic.
(c) Contend that because something is new it must be better or more correct.
(d) Portray the opposition argument as much weaker than it actually is.

4. In Chapter 10, "From the Inside Out," why does Foster take the time to discuss the characteristic style of Barnes, Hitchens, and Robinson?
(a) To support his claim that there is an essayist for every kind of reader.
(b) To demonstrate that Barnes is the least interesting of the three writers.
(c) To point out the "earnestness" of Robinson's writing.
(d) To illustrate how different the voice and style of essayists can be.

5. In Chapter 15, "Reading Internet Sources," what does Foster call the "fatal flaw" of the internet?
(a) Too many editors.
(b) A lack of quality control.
(c) The hierarchy of gatekeepers.
(d) The cost of connecting to it.

6. In Chapter 15, "Reading Internet Sources," what does Foster call inaccurate information?
(a) Dark information.
(b) Hypertext.
(c) Dark energy.
(d) Cyber-lies.

7. In Chapter 10, "From the Inside Out," why does Foster not capitalize the name of bell hooks?
(a) He is respecting hooks's wishes.
(b) He is showing how little he values her work.
(c) It is a pseudonym.
(d) It is a name she herself rejected.

8. In Chapter 10, "From the Inside Out," what aspect of Renaissance scholarship does Foster say the essay rebels against?
(a) Respect for accurate history.
(b) The importance of institutional authority.
(c) Obedience to the Christian God.
(d) The veneration of classical Greece and Rome.

9. In Chapter 10, "From the Inside Out," Foster says that the placement of newspaper columns often creates a "dichotomy." What is he accusing them of doing?
(a) Creating the impression that there are only two possible points of view.
(b) Making it difficult for readers to find information outside of the two-party system.
(c) Creating the impression that fair and balanced coverage is unimportant.
(d) Making it difficult for readers to understand the nuances of their arguments.

10. In Chapter 15, "Reading Internet Sources," Foster refers to ARPANET. What is ARPANET?
(a) A writer's group that works toward accuracy on the web.
(b) An early government computer network.
(c) The governmental body that regulates the internet.
(d) The first computer browser.

11. In Chapter 9, "Living the News," how does Foster apply the idea of "free indirect speech" to New Journalism?
(a) He uses it to compare New Journalism with immersive journalism.
(b) He uses it to contrast New Journalism with fiction.
(c) He uses it to label Wolfe's attempt to recreate the inner lives of his subjects.
(d) He uses it to explain how Thompson narrates his own thoughts.

12. In Chapter 9, "Living the News," what historical era does Foster tie New Journalism to?
(a) The Great Depression.
(b) World War Two.
(c) The "Reagan Revolution" of the 1980's.
(d) The counterculture movement of the 1960's.

13. In Chapter 11, "Life from the Inside," Foster discusses the use of parallelism. He is discussing what technique?
(a) The exact repetition of words and phrases.
(b) The use of tone that mimics the subject under discussion.
(c) The repetition of grammatical structures.
(d) The use of multiple, similar examples.

14. In Chapter 14, "The Universe of Ideas/Ideas of the Universe," what does Foster seem to admire most about Neil deGrasse Tyson's writing?
(a) That he confines he writing to easily understood concepts.
(b) That he is a witty and engaging writer.
(c) That he is one of the few scientists who can write about many fields of science.
(d) That he finds a way to communicate very abstract and unfamiliar ideas.

15. In Chapter 13, "On the Stump," Foster says that Fire and Fury was "incendiary" (189). He is comparing the book to what?
(a) An iceberg.
(b) A riot.
(c) A bomb.
(d) A storm.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Chapter 12, "Life from the Inside," what advantage does Foster say contemporaneous accounts have?

2. Chapter 15, "Reading Internet Sources," ends with the date of singer Roy Orbison's birthday. What is Foster's purpose in placing this piece of information here?

3. In Chapter 9, "Living the News," Foster calls Fear and Loathing a roman à clef. What is he saying about this book?

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

5. In Chapter 13, "On the Stump," Foster says that the chief aim of Fire and Fury is to demonstrate what?

(see the answer keys)

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