View a FREE sample

This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 3, Publication and Survival.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The two things that keep the common reader turning the pages, according to Gardner are story or what?
(a) Character.
(b) Argument.
(c) Mood.
(d) Theme.

2. What is the honest answer to the question most young writer's ask of "Do I have what it takes to be a writer?" according to Gardner?
(a) "God only knows."
(b) "Definitely yet."
(c) "Definitely no."
(d) "You'll know in time."

3. Who is the author of All the King's Men?
(a) William Faulkner.
(b) Robert Penn Warren.
(c) Franz Kafka.
(d) Ernest Hemingway.

4. Who recommended Gardner at New American Library?
(a) William Gass.
(b) James Segal.
(c) Michael Harper.
(d) Harry Crews.

5. In what novel does Gardner note the rooftop scene as being one of surprise in Chapter 1?
(a) Nicholas Nickleby.
(b) Crime and Punishment.
(c) Emma.
(d) Seize the Day.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Chapter 2, Gardner writes that writing, "like the study of classical piano, is not practical but _____."

2. What does Gardner say "breeds success" in Chapter 1?

3. Which manuscript did Gardner send out which got a reply suggesting he cut it by a third?

4. What does Gardner claim is helpful, if it can be kept in partial control, to keep the novelist driven?

5. Gardner notes in Chapter 1 that all writing requires some measure of a ____ state.

(see the answer key)

This section contains 228 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample