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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. What author responded to the question of why she wrote fiction, "Because I'm good at it"?

2. What organization does Gardner suggest for help in locating good teachers, advice on fellowships, etc.?

3. What is one of the great questions of the moment which is addressed in The World According to Garp?

4. Who wrote The World According to Garp?

5. Who recommended Gardner at New American Library?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What should the successful teacher do for his writing students, according to Gardner?

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

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

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

6. Why must a teacher avoid projecting their aesthetic view on writers?

7. What does Gardner say of supporting oneself as a writer in Chapter 3?

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

9. Describe some of the qualities of bad writing workshops in Chapter 2.

10. Why is writing usually rejected, according to Gardner?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the biographical history of John Gardner. How did he come to writing? What was his childhood like? Where did he study?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the differences between Melville's Onoo and Moby Dick. How does Gardner illustrate this in the text?

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?

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