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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. Which author does Gardner state had "gazelle eyes" which dominated the room in Chapter 1?

2. Gardner states that the effective writer leads the reader into a continuous what?

3. What masterpiece of James Joyce does Gardner suggest typing out for language growth in Chapter 1?

4. In Chapter 1, Gardner writes that one is unable to write for everyone, "try to win the audience both of Saul Bellow and" whom?

5. What does Gardner state in Chapter 1 that we call a writer who cares more for language than the other elements of fiction?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Gardner suggest as ways to understand the psychology of characters unlike themselves?

2. What authors does Gardner use to illustrate language and character in Chapter 1?

3. What essential things must an aspiring author understand in order to pursue writing?

4. How does Gardner define "setting," "plot," and "theme" in Chapter 1?

5. What does Gardner say of "recognizing the significant" in Chapter 1?

6. How does Gardner explain characterization and story through his hypothetical story in Chapter 1?

7. What does Gardner write about showy language in Chapter 1?

8. What does Gardner relate about the "author's character" in Chapter 1? How does he describe "special intelligence?"

9. In Chapter 1, what does Gardner say the most common question of the aspiring writer is to him? What is the response?

10. How does Gardner describe traditional plot, victim stories, and "epiphany stories?"

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What does Gardner write about the sense of perception and the ability of writers to create characters unlike themselves? What authors does he remark are excellent at this task?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the negative aspects of going for a graduate degree from a writer's workshop. What cons does Gardner cite for these programs?

Essay Topic 3

What does Gardner mean in Chapter 1 when he refers to "verbal sensitivity"? What does this phrase mean and not mean to the author?

(see the answer keys)

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