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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Part IV: Chapter 20 The Sound of Your Voice.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What happens when writers do not stick to proper grammar rules?
(a) It makes readers believe that all writing is bad, and they won't ever read again.
(b) It creates more bad writers.
(c) It makes readers mad.
(d) It distracts the readers and show conempt for the language.

2. Should exclamation points be used in serious writing?
(a) They should be avoided unless absolutely necessary.
(b) They should be sprinkled into paragraphs like salt and pepper. The more the better.
(c) They should be used sparingly. One per paragraph is fine.
(d) Only serious writing has serious exclamation points. How else would people understand astonishment?

3. What are Zinsser's four articles of faith to writing well?
(a) Clarity, simplicity, brevity and humanity.
(b) Clarity, simplicity, elasticity and minimalism.
(c) Simplicity, brevity, busy sentences and proper grammer.
(d) Brevity, quick turnaround, clever sentences and little humanity.

4. What tense does Zissner recommend when starting a new piece?
(a) Third person.
(b) Second person.
(c) First person.
(d) Combination third and first.

5. How can uncluttered writing help fiction?
(a) It keeps the meaning of the story clear and the prose worth the reader's time.
(b) It keeps people's attention longer.
(c) It keeps books smaller and people like smaller books.
(d) It highlights the impotant parts of the story.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does this misconception exist?

2. How is humor used in writing nonfiction?

3. What are the two components of the original Roget's Thesaurus?

4. What is an example of a time when bad writing HAS to be read?

5. What group of people does the author think has the worst type of writing?

(see the answer key)

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