View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In Chapter 9, "Living the News," which authors does Foster point out as not engaged in New Journalism?
(a) Mailer and Didion.
(b) Capote and Agee.
(c) Woodward and Bernstein.
(d) Breslin and Talese.

2. 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 is one of the few scientists who can write about many fields of science.
(b) That he confines he writing to easily understood concepts.
(c) That he is a witty and engaging writer.
(d) That he finds a way to communicate very abstract and unfamiliar ideas.

3. 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 label Wolfe's attempt to recreate the inner lives of his subjects.
(c) He uses it to explain how Thompson narrates his own thoughts.
(d) He uses it to contrast New Journalism with fiction.

4. According to Foster in Chapter 9, Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek is an example of what type of nonfiction?
(a) Creative nonfiction.
(b) New Journalism.
(c) Reportage.
(d) Immersive journalism.

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

6. In "Interrogating the Text," Foster says that he himself tends to "eschew" notes. He is saying what about his use of notes?
(a) He does not use them.
(b) His notes are sometimes disorganized.
(c) He tends to provide too many.
(d) He backs up his notes with a Works Cited section.

7. In Chapter 14, "The Universe of Ideas/Ideas of the Universe," what are two reasons Foster points to for disbelief in science?
(a) Social media and poor science writing.
(b) Ignorance and stubbornness.
(c) Religion and economic interests.
(d) Skepticism and cynicism.

8. In Chapter 10, "From the Inside Out," what important characteristic of the essay does Foster point out?
(a) It is highly adaptable.
(b) It is more easily understood than other forms of nonfiction.
(c) It is an ancient form of writing.
(d) It teaches the reader to organize their thoughts.

9. In Chapter 9, "Living the News," what does Foster say is responsible for Didion's characteristic style?
(a) Politics.
(b) Gender.
(c) Drugs.
(d) Education.

10. In "Interrogating the Text," where does Foster say the "three questions" originate?
(a) Stephen Ambrose, author of Undaunted Courage.
(b) John McPhee, Pulitzer-Prize-winning nonfiction author.
(c) Stephen Toulmin, British philosopher and logician.
(d) William Shawn, an editor at The New Yorker.

11. According to Foster in Chapter 15, "Reading Internet Sources," what two errors in thinking prevent people from embracing gatekeeping?
(a) They believe that all writers are honest and that all editors are dishonest.
(b) They believe that all gatekeepers are elitist and that all voices should be represented.
(c) They believe that all barriers are bad and that all people are good.
(d) They believe that all nonfiction is accurate and that all critics are misguided cynics.

12. In Chapter 12, "Life from the Inside," Foster discusses primary and secondary sources. Which of the following would be a secondary source about World War Two?
(a) An editorial in the New York Times opposing American involvement in the war.
(b) A collection of English WWII military maps and charts discovered many years after the war.
(c) A historical account in a 2020 textbook about the attack on Pearl Harbor.
(d) A 1942 letter from an overseas American soldier to his parents.

13. In Chapter 12, "Life from the Inside," what advantage does Foster say contemporaneous accounts have?
(a) They allow the writer to consult sources from a variety of viewpoints.
(b) They allow the reader to understand the world as it is in the present.
(c) They offer a long view on historical events.
(d) They offer a narrower--and therefore easier to understand--view of history.

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

15. Based on Chapter 14, "The Universe of Ideas/Ideas of the Universe," what would Foster call a journalist writing a general survey of the field of string theory?
(a) Expert testimony.
(b) Journalistic compilation.
(c) Amateur profiles.
(d) Interrogation of text.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Chapter 12, "Life from the Inside," what advantage does Foster say elapsed time gives to historical accounts?

2. In Chapter 14, "The Universe of Ideas/Ideas of the Universe," what does Foster say is true about contemporary America?

3. According to Foster in Chapter 9, "Living the News," what is McPhee's purpose in comparing geological change over time to a road trip?

4. In Chapter 12, "Life from the Inside," what does Foster suggest that Ambrose loses by choosing to focus on Lewis?

5. In "Interrogating the Text," Foster says that source material should be "apt." He means that source material should be what?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 897 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample