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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. According to Chapter 8, "Bringing the News," at what level are most news stories written?
(a) The twelfth grade level.
(b) The college sophomore level.
(c) The ninth to eleventh grade levels.
(d) The fourth to sixth grade levels.

2. In Chapter 6, "Source Code,"what does Foster say about researching primary sources on microfiche?
(a) It's too much work.
(b) It may be tedious, but it's worth the effort.
(c) Microfiche is an unreliable medium.
(d) Microfiche is obsolete and has already been supplanted by digital sources.

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

4. In Chapter 7, "All in How You Look at Things," what is the purpose of Foster's discussion of structure in Coming into the Country?
(a) To show how chronological structure can be adapted to a particular message.
(b) To show that cause and effect structure can be used for narrative.
(c) To demonstrate that theme is dependent on detail.
(d) To demonstrate the limits of chronological structure.

5. 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) Academic.
(b) Informational.
(c) Political.
(d) Technical.

Short Answer Questions

1. The section of this book called "The Books in the Book" is what part of the book?

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

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

4. In Chapter 2, "The Ecology of the Nonfiction Biosphere," Foster calls an expression a "bromide." What is he saying about this expression?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. At the end of "Building Blocks of Arguments," Foster discusses mistakes in claims, grounds, and warrants. He gives the example of someone born in American Samoa claiming to be a U.S. citizen. Since American Samoa is not a territory that the U.S. recognizes as conferring birthright citizenship, Foster says that this argument is mistaken in its grounds. Is it? Explain why or why not.

2. In Chapter 6, "Source Code," what does Foster say about biographies and the length of time that has passed since the lives of their subjects?

3. On page 21 of Chapter 2, "The Ecology of the Nonfiction Biosphere," Foster says, of Wolfe's Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, "This is First Contact with Aliens." What does Foster mean by this, and how do we know?

4. Explain why, in Chapter 7, "All in How You Look at Things," Foster says that, even in narrative nonfiction, there is a difference between chronological order and structure.

5. In Chapter 1, "The Structure of Nonfiction Information," what does Foster say is the purpose of his reader being asked to think like a writer, and what is one example of how this works?

6. In Chapter 6, "Source Code," what does Foster say is the consequence of a "land without gatekeepers" (68)?

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 6, "Source Code," what does Foster say that "expertise" is and is not?

9. 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.

10. 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?

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