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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Should exclamation points be used in serious writing?

2. What is the main attitude that writers have today?

3. Who is the author talking to at the beginning of the book?

4. What happens when a product of writing is never read?

5. Who is the real audience in a piece of writing?

Short Essay Questions

1. Writers are told to study the market before submitting pieces. Why is this advice irrelevant?

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

3. When can some writers break grammar rules?

4. What happens to the reader when he or she reads cluttered writing?

5. Who is the real audience in a piece of writing?

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

7. Do gimmicks usually work in good writing?

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

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

10. When can grammar rules be broken?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What type of writing should not be changed and why? What are some ways to better industry standards, where wording needs to remain uniform?

Essay Topic 2

Writing as well as you can is hard. What has been the hardest part about writing as well as you could for this class? Was it the editing? The bracketing? Hearing your peers responses or responding to your peers? Evaluate your experience in the class and explain whether it was positive or negative.

Essay Topic 3

What do you think about Zinsser's attitude towards writing, especially in terms of his reaction to the doctor that loves to write at the beginning of the book? At times it feels as though he is all business and no fun. Do you find writing a chore or a pleasure?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 741 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample