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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why do Americans have trouble writing?
(a) Their minds are too cluttered.
(b) They are bad at fact checking.
(c) They are not complex enough.
(d) They do too much and slack on their writing.

2. Chapter 3 is about __________.
(a) Clutter.
(b) Increasing the simplicity of writing.
(c) Simplicity.
(d) Reducing clutter.

3. What is the transaction in writing?
(a) How much a writer gives of themselves rather than of facts.
(b) The bookbuying process.
(c) How much a writer talks about themselves.
(d) How much facts a writer uses.

4. What is the mood or voice in a piece?
(a) Mood or voice is the way a piece sounds to the reader in the imaginations inner ear.
(b) The mood is the way the characters feel in a piece.
(c) Mood or voice is the way the characters speak to one another.
(d) The voice is the authority figure in a nonfiction piece.

5. What does it convey when anyone says he can write a book if he wanted to?
(a) It shows that there are many talented people in the world.
(b) It reveals how easy it is to write a book.
(c) It reveals the misconception that writing is easy.
(d) It shows that people are ignorant.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why doesn't he simply cross out clutter?

2. What is a common problem with nonfiction writers?

3. What period of writing constantly used semicolons?

4. Why does Zissner advise his clients to worry about the marketplace last?

5. What does Zissner think of gimmicky writing?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why do writers have a hard time starting at the "true beginning?"

2. Why does Zinsser avoid using journalism as a model for good writers?

3. How do you know when an article is a failure?

4. Why does Zinsser use brackets on students' papers?

5. What skills does an interviewer need to possess?

6. What are some examples of bad writing that has to be read?

7. When can grammar rules be broken?

8. What does the surgeon in Chapter 1 think about writing?

9. In what point of view should a writer start writing? Why?

10. What is the major problem with American writing in terms of simplicity?

(see the answer keys)

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