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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. How does Zinsser end his travel article that he wrote about Timbuktu?

2. What did he love about the New York Herald?

3. What is a second approach Zinsser recommends that complements the first approach mentioned?

4. What is a good way to edit a long story?

5. How does Zinsser gain an edge over his competition?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are some of the hardest parts of writing about performances?

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

3. Why is bad to fall into cliches when travel writing?

4. Why do critics need to be well versed in the art they are writing about?

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

6. How does Zinsser react when editors want to change too much of his work?

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

8. Does Zinsser think that scientists can write?

9. Explain some of the choices that writers have to take when editing?

10. Why is humor the most powerful tool for a nonfiction writer?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Rewrite the following sentence into three good leads: The cat jumped onto the fence.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Explain the importance of using modern words versus antiquated words in writing. Explain when it would be important to use older words versus more modern words.

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This section contains 777 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample