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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 9, "Living the News," which work does Foster say is likely the first example of New Journalism?

2. In Chapter 15, "Reading Internet Sources," what does Foster call the "fatal flaw" of the internet?

3. In Chapter 14, "The Universe of Ideas/Ideas of the Universe," what criticism does Foster level against Malcolm Gladwell?

4. In Chapter 11, "Life from the Inside," what form does Foster say takes its name from the French term for reminiscence?

5. "Flu cases are 100% higher this year" is an example of what problematic use of data discussed by Foster in "Interrogating the Text"?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 14, "The Universe of Ideas/Ideas of the Universe," what are the three types of science writing that Foster describes, and what are the differences among them?

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

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

4. In Chapter 11, "Life from the Inside," why does Foster spend time describing the contents of Cardinal Newman's autobiography?

5. In Chapter 10, "From the Inside Out," what characteristics does Foster say the thesis of a strong essay will have?

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

7. In Chapter 13, "On the Stump," what concern does Foster say that other journalists have about Wolff's work?

8. In Chapter 13, "On the Stump," what are the three categories that Foster says outsider exposés fall into, and why does he say that they are more reliable than insider's writings?

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

10. In Chapter 12, "That Is So Last Year," what change in "fashion" does Foster say that the publishing of history has followed in the past decades?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In Chapter 2, "The Ecology of the Nonfiction Biosphere," Foster makes a number of claims about the importance of newspapers. Do you agree, disagree, or agree with qualifications?

Essay Topic 2

Consider Foster's plea for critical thinking in Chapter 15, "Reading Internet Sources." He blames the presence of false information on the web on a lack of "gatekeepers" (248) and calls the lack of "quality control" on the web a "fatal flaw" (246). Think carefully about the following questions and then write an essay in which you give your opinions about media gatekeeping.

• Who has historically controlled media, and what has this control meant for those without a voice in traditional media?

• Have the masses of people historically been fully informed, critical thinkers?

• If there were "gatekeepers" ensuring the truth of everything published on the web, who would they be and how would this alter the function of the web in the average person's life?

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay in which you define and describe a form of writing found exclusively on the Web. Be sure to cover the "grammar" and purpose of the form in your description.

(see the answer keys)

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