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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. 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) It is unusual for people to write about themselves in the third person.
(b) Woodward and Bernstein used too many anonymous sources.
(c) Woodward and Bernstein faced serious obstacles in investigating the Watergate story.
(d) All the President's Men is a work of nonfiction.

2. In Chapter 2, "The Ecology of the Nonfiction Biosphere," Foster notes that the expectation for a writer to be engaging does not apply to which types of writing?
(a) Informational.
(b) Academic.
(c) Political.
(d) Technical.

3. In Chapter 3, "The Power of the Prologue," why is "foreward" spelled with an "e" instead of as we usually see it, "forward"?
(a) The spelling "foreward" is a British spelling, like "flavour," and is therefore an accepted alternate spelling.
(b) Foster is using an unconventional spelling to draw attention to the idea "fore," which means "ahead."
(c) Without the "e," the word means a direction; with the "e," it means a piece of writing that comes ahead of another.
(d) This is a proofreading error in the text.

4. In Chapter 3, "The Power of the Prologue," Foster mentions a "squib." What is a squib, in this context?
(a) A short, satirical piece of writing.
(b) A non-magical person born to wizards.
(c) A miniature explosive device.
(d) The misfire of a gun due to insufficient force.

5. 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) Why self-help books can use many non-chronological structures.
(b) Science writing that does not use chronological order.
(c) Why self-help books are better off using a chronological structure.
(d) Science writing that begins in media res.

Short Answer Questions

1. What definition of "lede" does Foster give In Chapter 2, "The Ecology of the Nonfiction Biosphere"?

2. In Chapter 4, "The Parts You Don't Read," what advice does Foster give about the copyright page?

3. In Chapter 1, "The Structure of Nonfiction Information," what does Foster mean when he uses the word "dichotomy"?

4. 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?

5. In Chapter 6, "Source Code," what type of writing does Foster say relies heavily on eyewitness testimony?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why, in Chapter 2, "The Ecology of the Nonfiction Biosphere," does Foster say that it is both good and bad news that all communication has a "grammar"?

2. In Chapter 1, "The Structure of Nonfiction Information," why does Foster say that focus and telos can change if the structure of a work is changed?

3. In Chapter 8, "Bringing the News," why does Foster say that All the President's Men is "meta-journalism"?

4. In Chapter 6, "Source Code," what two problems does Foster identify with the use of data as support?

5. In Chapter 8, "Bringing the News," what problem does Foster identify with creating a point of view for All the President's Men, and how do Woodward and Bernstein solve it?

6. In Chapter 1, "The Structure of Nonfiction Information," why does Foster call the organization of The Boys in the Boat "kaleidoscopic" (14)?

7. In Chapter 8, "Bringing the News," what does Foster seem to admire about the Lansing State Journal's coverage of the Nassar scandal?

8. On page 33 of "Building Blocks of Arguments," Foster compares claims and grounds to two people standing next to one another at a dance and says warrants are what "pins" them together so that they can "go steady." Explain his meaning.

9. In Chapter 7, "All in How You Look at Things," what are the ways that Foster suggests chronological order can be modified, and why would a writer choose to do this?

10. In Chapter 3, "The Power of the Prologue," Foster explains the origin of the prologue. What is its origin and how is that origin reflected in today's prologues?

(see the answer keys)

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