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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.
Short Answer Questions
1. In Chapter 6, "Source Code," what consequence does Foster say the rise of the internet has had?
2. In Chapter 6, "Source Code," where does Foster suggest writers should gather information about historical figures?
3. In Chapter 3, "The Power of the Prologue," what does Foster give as the basic meaning of "preface," "prologue," and "foreward"?
4. In Chapter 2, "The Ecology of the Nonfiction Biosphere," what does Foster say is the difference between "hard news" and "soft news"?
5. In Chapter 6, "Source Code,"what does Foster say about researching primary sources on microfiche?
Short Essay Questions
1. 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.
2. In Chapter 8, "Bringing the News," why does Foster say that All the President's Men is "meta-journalism"?
3. In Chapter 6, "Source Code," what relationship does Foster point out between reportorial presence and time?
4. In Chapter 3, "The Power of the Prologue," what are the two main functions of the prologue that Foster discusses?
5. In Chapter 6, "Source Code," what does Foster say is the consequence of a "land without gatekeepers" (68)?
6. 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.
7. In Chapter 4, "The Parts You Don't Read," what two kinds of notes does Foster discuss and what are their functions?
8. 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?
9. In Chapter 6, "Source Code," what two problems does Foster identify with the use of data as support?
10. 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.
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
On page 28 of Chapter 2, "The Ecology of the Nonfiction Biosphere," Foster writes the following paragraph:
"That's easy: time. The thing of which there is never enough. That heals all wounds or possibly wounds all heels."
Analyze the effectiveness of this paragraph. What rhetorical strategies are at work here? What do you believe to be its purpose? Does it accomplish its purpose?
Essay Topic 2
Based on the language and tone of Foster's book, who is his imagined audience? Is this audience consistent throughout the book? Give specific textual examples as you analyze how Foster's language and tone reveal the presumed audience for this book.
Essay Topic 3
In Chapter 6, "Source Code," Foster suggests that as microfiche research is time-consuming and frustrating, writers should use secondary sources such as biographies. Offer an evaluation of this argument. Be sure to consider the assumptions Foster is making about both primary and secondary sources and the applicability of his suggestion to nonfiction in fields outside of history--such as science, sociology, the arts, politics, and so on.
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This section contains 1,184 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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