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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 13, "On the Stump," Foster says that Omarosa "uses her first name mononymously" (188). What does this mean about her use of her first name?

2. In Chapter 15, "Reading Internet Sources," what does Foster say the contemporary world lacks?

3. In Chapter 10, "From the Inside Out," which writer does Foster credit with originating the essay?

4. In "Interrogating the Text," what does Foster say most authors will do?

5. Based on Chapter 14, "The Universe of Ideas/Ideas of the Universe," what would Foster call a neuroscientist reporting on and analyzing recent developments in neuroscience?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 13, "On the Stump," what criticism does Foster level at Fox News?

2. In Chapter 12, "That Is So Last Year," what difference does Foster explain between primary and secondary sources?

3. In Chapter 9, "Living the News," why does Foster say that Hunter S. Thomson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is really a roman à clef?

4. In Chapter 9, "Living the News," what two main types of subjective nonfiction does Foster define, and what four categories does he break these main types into?

5. In Chapter 14, "The Universe of Ideas/Ideas of the Universe," what does Foster say motivates antiscientific beliefs?

6. In "Interrogating the Text," where does Foster suggest that readers focus their interrogative effort, and why?

7. In Chapter 15, "Reading Internet Sources," Foster reveals the central issue of the book. What does he say the issue is, and why does he believe it is worth devoting a book to?

8. In "Interrogating the Text," what does Foster say the purpose of interrogating text is?

9. In Chapter 14, "The Universe of Ideas/Ideas of the Universe," what qualities does Foster say a genuine expert will have?

10. Which of the three writers that Foster discusses in Chapter 13, "On the Stump," does Foster find to be least reliable, and which does he find to be most reliable? Why is this?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In Chapter 4, "The Parts You Don't Read," Foster says that titles are important guideposts to meaning. Evaluate the effectiveness of the chapter titles that Foster has chosen for this book.

Essay Topic 2

What are the "four Ps" that Foster discusses in Chapter 1, "The Structure of Nonfiction Information," and what is the function of each?

Essay Topic 3

Choose a piece of science writing and evaluate it according to the standards laid out in "Interrogating the Text."

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