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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What occurs when business writing is bad?
(a) Customers will go elsewhere to buy their goods and services.
(b) Executives get fired for pawning off simple writing tasks.
(c) Investors will agree to terms they do not understand.
(d) People will get fired for bad writing.

2. Why do structured classes miss the point of teaching good writing?
(a) They focus more on the writing process than the final product.
(b) They focus more on talent and less on grades.
(c) They focus less on talent and more on getting good grades.
(d) They focus more on the final product than the writing process.

3. Where does a writer need to start to get his or her voice discovered?
(a) A writer needs to emulate other writers and see how they utlilize their voices in their writing.
(b) Sign up for a talent search.
(c) Go to a literary agent and ask how to get their voice out.
(d) Read stories aloud at poetry clubs or book clubs.

4. What is an example of American television shows that use humor to talk about serious issues?
(a) The Evening News.
(b) The View.
(c) Saturday Night Live.
(d) The Today Show.

5. What advice does Zinsser have for all writers?
(a) To write the best they can and defend their writing.
(b) To never give up in the face of adversity.
(c) To challenge their editors occasionally.
(d) To write as much as they can and become a content mill.

6. How are writers like painters?
(a) Writing isn't like painting at all. Neither has anything in common with the other.
(b) Writers and painters will destory their work if it is not to their expectations.
(c) Painters start with models and then learn to create in they own way. Writers use formulas then find their own voice.
(d) They both have the freedom of creativity with no rules that bind them.

7. What does Zinsser think about this misconception?
(a) He disagrees with it, but offers no reason why.
(b) He agrees with it and thinks writers can never understand complex scientific theories.
(c) He agrees with it and thinks scientists cannot write at all.
(d) He states anyone can write about anything if his approach is correct.

8. What does Zinsser make sure his paragraphs do?
(a) He proofreads and makes sure the right punctuation is used throughout.
(b) He makes sure that the last paragraph references all the paragraphs before it.
(c) He makes sure each paragraph draws the reader onward through the entire story.
(d) He makes sure they all flow and summarize themselves at the end.

9. What do people need to understand about science?
(a) It is a foundation that needs to be built upon.
(b) It can be learned at any point in life.
(c) Only nerds can learn it.
(d) It is easy to understand if given the chance.

10. What did his parents teach him that made him a fantastic writer?
(a) HIs father took him to a field trip to a newspaper office.
(b) His mother instilled in him a love and respect for good writing, and his father taught him to have a strong work ethic.
(c) His mother taught him to spell, and his father taught him to write.
(d) His mother was a writer and went to career day at his school.

11. Cliche words should be avoided at all costs. What else should be avoided?
(a) Assuming the writer has already been to a place.
(b) Overly describing a single place.
(c) Not describing a place enough.
(d) Cliched details.

12. What is a requirement for good literary criticism?
(a) Knowing the subject that the writer wants to write about.
(b) Subscribing to arts magazines.
(c) Frequenting the theatre often.
(d) Having a comparitive literature degress.

13. Writers should always look for ________________.
(a) Things that relate places to another.
(b) Making places more accessible to other people.
(c) People to tell them about a place so they don't have to actually go anywhere.
(d) The unique aspects of a place.

14. Why does this misconception exist?
(a) Early education lumps students into categories, creating boundaries they can never cross in the future.
(b) Writing is too complex for many, and is more of an art than a science.
(c) Writers only want to read literature, and not science.
(d) Scientists are left brain individuals that don't want to learn to write.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the biggest fear that nonfiction writers have?

2. What does Zinsser think about writing memoirs?

3. How is humor used in writing nonfiction?

4. What is a major problem of business writing?

5. Is there room for opinion when writing a sports article?

(see the answer keys)

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