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

2. What is the danger of overusing humor in writing?
(a) A writer will not be taken seriously.
(b) A writer's credibility will tank.
(c) It can get tiresome and jokes over time will become weaker.
(d) Rejection from not being funny enough, or at all.

3. What is a memoir?
(a) They are books about other people written by ghostwriters.
(b) They can be about any life experience.
(c) They are stories about immigrants.
(d) They are fiction peices about real people.

4. What does the process of memoir writing do for a writer?
(a) It brings up related memories that were pushed into the subconsious.
(b) It brings back bad memories that the person tried to forget.
(c) It forces them to talk to distant relatives they hate.
(d) Nothing but write about everything he or she thinks about daily.

5. What freedom does he give his students?
(a) He doesn't give deadlines, the gives very little guidance, and just lets people write and turn in first drafts.
(b) He lets everyone out early on Fridays.
(c) The power to decide what to write about, what angle to take, what perspective, and what to cut out.
(d) He doesn't give freedom. He is very demanding of his students.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is different about every writer's voice?

2. What advice does Zinsser have for all writers?

3. Where is there an opportunity for great creative writing?

4. What should writers focus on the most?

5. What is an example of American television shows that use humor to talk about serious issues?

Short Essay Questions

1. Should sports writers add their opinions in sports articles?

2. Who does Zinsser blame when it comes to focusing on the final prize instead of the work of an article?

3. What tense do business writer stend to use that hurts their writing?

4. What is a good way to learn how to write with humor? How much humor should be used?

5. How is taste involved in writing?

6. What needs to be described in a travel article?

7. What is a major pitfall of sports writers?

8. Why is corporate speak the norm in business writing?

9. Why should exact details be avoided in memoirs? What approach should writers take instead?

10. Does he recommend this level of pride to other writers?

(see the answer keys)

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