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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 2, "The Ecology of the Nonfiction Biosphere," Foster calls an expression a "bromide." What is he saying about this expression?
2. According to "The Building Blocks of Arguments," what is the only form of nonfiction that is not argumentative?
3. In Chapter 2, "The Ecology of the Nonfiction Biosphere," what does Foster call the "second draft of history"?
4. 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?
5. In Chapter 7, "All in How You Look at Things," what does Foster say beginning writers often get too caught up in?
Short Essay Questions
1. In Chapter 6, "Source Code," what two problems does Foster identify with the use of data as support?
2. In Chapter 6, "Source Code," what relationship does Foster point out between reportorial presence and time?
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. In Chapter 6, "Source Code," what does Foster say is the consequence of a "land without gatekeepers" (68)?
6. In Chapter 5, "It May Just Be Me, But..." how does Foster suggest that a reader can examine the author's use of quotes to determine bias?
7. 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.
8. 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?
9. In Chapter 1, "The Structure of Nonfiction Information," what does Foster say is similar about the terms "narrative strategy" and "structural design," and what does he say is the difference?
10. In Chapter 8, "Bringing the News," why does Foster say that All the President's Men is "meta-journalism"?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
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.
Essay Topic 2
On page 89 of Chapter 7, "All in How You Look at Things," Foster makes the claim that "there are comparatively few books written that own nothing to the passage of time" (89). Explain his meaning here and then use factual evidence to evaluate the strength of his claim.
Essay Topic 3
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.
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This section contains 1,086 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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