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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 is a dash useful for?
(a) Dashes are good to separate thoughts.
(b) Dashes act as pointers to a point and to set off parenthetical statementes.
(c) Dashes are good in place of exclamations.
(d) Dashes are good to connect complex sentences.

2. Who are two authors that Zissner admires for solid writing and ornamentation?
(a) Normal Mailer and Virginia Wolfe.
(b) Virginia Woolfe and Sylvia Plath.
(c) Sylvia Plath and Jane Austen.
(d) Norman Mailer and Tom Wolfe.

3. Has the period of political euphemisms improved since the Vietnam War?
(a) No, it has gotten worse.
(b) Yes, politicians hire better speech writers.
(c) Yes, politicians know how to unclutter their writing now.
(d) No, it is the same.

4. What are the two components of the original Roget's Thesaurus?
(a) Antonyms with very in depth definitions.
(b) A list of synonyms and their definitions with pictures on one side.
(c) A dictionary listing of words, and a numberd section with synonyms arranged in broad concepts.
(d) A dictionary of antonyms, and one of synonyms.

5. What makes a good first sentence?
(a) A good first sentence has a good lead. A good lead is one that works.
(b) A good first sentence needs to be written with exceptional grammer.
(c) A good ending is best to tie up the first sentence.
(d) The first sentence only sets up the second sentence. That is the one writers should focus on.

Short Answer Questions

1. What period in U.S. history does Zissner point out as a time filled with euphemisms?

2. Can good writing be taught?

3. Should a writer use different voices for different types of writing?

4. What does the etymology of words mean?

5. Can a writer's style be affected to the reader?

(see the answer key)

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