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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which manuscript did Gardner send out which got a reply suggesting he cut it by a third?
(a) The Wreckage of Agathon.
(b) The Resurrection.
(c) The Sunlight Dialogues.
(d) Grendel.

2. What does Gardner cite as one of the most respected publishers of novels?
(a) Penguin.
(b) Simon and Schuster.
(c) Alfred A. Knopf.
(d) Harper and Row.

3. Who is cited as the head of the writing program at Johns Hopkins and favors new and strange styles?
(a) Kurt Vonnegut.
(b) William Glass.
(c) Max Apple.
(d) John Barth.

4. Who was the first editor to take interest in Gardner's work?
(a) Jack Smith.
(b) James Growder.
(c) Gerald Kimble.
(d) Bob Gottlieb.

5. What author responded to the question of why she wrote fiction, "Because I'm good at it"?
(a) Joyce Carol Oates.
(b) Sylvia Plath.
(c) Flannery O'Connor.
(d) Edith Wharton.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Chapter 2, Gardner writes that the "true young novelist has the stamina, patience, and single-mindedness of a" what?

2. Chapter 3 states that getting any letter at all from an editor is a mark of what?

3. What is the name of the writer's conference where Gardner has frequently worked with writing assistants?

4. The main commitment of famous writers as teachers is what?

5. What does M.F.A. stand for?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Gardner say of editors in Chapter 3? What can one do to appeal to an editor?

2. What are some of the qualities that should make an aspiring writer leave a program?

3. What does Gardner say regarding the study of philosophy and psychology?

4. Are all good writers good teachers? What does Gardner say of this in Chapter 2?

5. What does Gardner open Chapter 3 with, regarding the young writer's focus on publication?

6. What does Gardner say in regard to literary dynasties and writing workshops in Chapter 2?

7. What is the "best" way to sustain a living as a writer, according to Gardner?

8. What does Gardner write of writers' workshops in Chapter 2?

9. What brings the author feelings of virtue in Chapter 2?

10. What does Gardner write of the standard technique of teaching writing in Chapter 2?

(see the answer keys)

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