View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why is it important to narrow down a nonfiction piece?
(a) Articles should not drain the writer and reader. Focusing on a corner is better than redefining an entire room.
(b) One person cannot write an article about every aspect of something. That is what books are for.
(c) It isn't important. People just want to look at pictures anyways.
(d) It isn't that important. It just sells better to magazines to be focused.

2. Do good writers decorate their writing?
(a) Yes, with good punctuation.
(b) No, good writers dont need ornamentation.
(c) No, only bad writers do this to sell more copies.
(d) Yes, always with lots of extra words.

3. What should every paragraph end with?
(a) All paragraphs should end with a summary of the entire paragraph.
(b) Every paragraph needs to have a hook or a cliffhanger that will lead the reader into the next paragraph.
(c) Every paragraph should end with a period.
(d) All paragraphs should repeat the first sentence.

4. How much research does Zinsser recommend for an article?
(a) He recommends using at least three full length books for a one page article.
(b) He recommends finding the bare minimum and bulking an article up with adjectives.
(c) He recommends finding just enough to make a word count.
(d) He recommends finding much more information than is needed for the article.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What is one of Zissner's biggest pet peeves?

2. What happens when the reader loses interest in the writing?

3. What should the lead in the first sentence do for a reader?

4. What gives nonfiction books life?

5. Why is nonfiction more popular than fiction?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the craft of writing consist of?

2. Does Zinsser believe it is important for an author's personality to shine through his or her writing?

3. What are Zinsser's thoughts on the writing profession?

4. Who does Zinsser say are the worst writers guilty of clutter?

5. What becomes of a finished article that nobody reads?

6. Why are journalists good about de-cluttering their writing?

7. What is unity in writing?

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

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

10. Why does the English language change all the time? Can you give an example of a language that never changes and why?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 816 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample