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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 1, "The Structure of Nonfiction Information," what are the "four Ps" that Foster discusses?
(a) Problem, promise, program, and platform.
(b) Purpose, paraphrase, platform, and paragraph.
(c) Problem, proposal, program, and plan.
(d) Purpose, proposal, program, and plan.

2. 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.

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

4. 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) This is a proofreading error in the text.
(c) Foster is using an unconventional spelling to draw attention to the idea "fore," which means "ahead."
(d) Without the "e," the word means a direction; with the "e," it means a piece of writing that comes ahead of another.

5. 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 fill the reader in on important context.
(c) To lay out the essentials of the work to follow.
(d) To establish the writer's credibility.

Short Answer Questions

1. 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?

2. According to "The Building Blocks of Arguments," what is the implicit argument of most nonfiction writing?

3. Which form discussed in Chapter 3, "The Power of the Prologue," is generally not written by the author of the main piece of writing?

4. In Chapter 7, "All in How You Look at Things," what does Foster say is the purpose of the academic five-paragraph essay?

5. In Chapter 6, "Source Code," where does Foster suggest writers should gather information about historical figures?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. In Chapter 3, "The Power of the Prologue," what are the two main functions of the prologue that Foster discusses?

3. In Chapter 4, "The Parts You Don't Read," what two kinds of notes does Foster discuss and what are their functions?

4. 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?

5. 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?

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

7. 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?

8. 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?

9. In Chapter 6, "Source Code," what does Foster say that "expertise" is and is not?

10. In Chapter 4, "The Parts You Don't Read," Foster discusses tables of contents and indexes. What is similar about these two things and what is different?

(see the answer keys)

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