View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What story of Robert Penn Warren's did Raymond Carver read in Gardner's class at Chico State College?

2. Where had John Gardner taught before Chico State College?

3. What is, according to Gardner, the one quality in fiction that cannot be faked?

4. Gardner writes in Chapter 1 that if one studies with whom, does he learn that Shakespeare is better than Mickey Spillane?

5. What year did Raymond Carver move to Chico, California?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the young author learn technique through reading others?

2. What is the second indicator of talent that Gardner discusses in Chapter 1? What author does he cite in this?

3. What is the "moronic setup" that Gardner relates in Chapter 1?

4. What hypothetical situation does Gardner uses as an example of plot in Chapter 1?

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

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

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

8. What does Gardner remark about theme in Chapter 1?

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

10. What does Gardner say in Chapter 1 regarding "verbal sensitivity?" What does this term mean?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the career of Raymond Carver. How did he come to study with John Gardner? What does he relate of his experiences as Gardner's student?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss what Gardner refers to as "special intelligence" in the writer. How does Gardner's definition of intelligence differ from the dictionary definition?

Essay Topic 3

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

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 794 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample