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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. To which substance is King first addicted as a young man?
(a) Cocaine.
(b) Alcohol.
(c) Marijuana.
(d) Prescription pain-killers.

2. In the chapter, C.V., King touches on the theme of the book. What is this theme?
(a) Writing as a career.
(b) Writing as life support.
(c) Writing as magic.
(d) Writing for money.

3. The change that King made in his writing life after his wife's intervention is seen by King as a symbol. What does this symbol represent?
(a) A change to a deeper kind of symbolism in his writing.
(b) A change in the meaning of his writing.
(c) A change in his writing style.
(d) A change in the priorities of his life.

4. What kind of stories does King particularly enjoy?
(a) Humorous stories by Mark Twain.
(b) Stories by O. Henry.
(c) Horror stories by Edgar Allen Poe.
(d) Mystery stories by Arthur Conan Doyle.

5. When King's principal hears about King's episode with the newspaper, what does he suggest?
(a) He tells him to get a job with a local paper as a sports writer.
(b) He tells him to get a job to keep him busy.
(c) He encourages King to quit writing.
(d) He tells him to stay out of trouble in the future.

6. According to King, who determines what the image in the second chapter looks like?
(a) The writer.
(b) No one.
(c) The translator.
(d) The reader.

7. What is the location of the first item mentioned in the image?
(a) In a chair.
(b) On a table.
(c) Over a counter.
(d) On the floor.

8. In the chapter, C.V., King makes a discovery about writing. What is this discovery?
(a) He discovers that writing is an obsession.
(b) He discovers that writing controls his life.
(c) He discovers that writing was something he likes to do.
(d) He discovers that his writing is not very good.

9. What does the second chapter open with King presenting to the reader?
(a) A piece of advice.
(b) A monologue.
(c) An image.
(d) An injunction.

10. What is the first thing King requests in the second chapter that his readers accept about writing?
(a) Writing is a way to build on your senses.
(b) Writing is an exercise.
(c) Writing is creative.
(d) Writing is magic.

11. If a reader does not see an image the same way as the writer, how has the image changed?
(a) The image becomes more elaborated.
(b) The creative process changes the image to fit the story.
(c) As the reader reads about it, the details change.
(d) The image doesn't change. It is the same image.

12. What does the King brothers' newspaper contain?
(a) Local gossip and family news.
(b) Stories told to King about his family.
(c) Stories about family members.
(d) Family and neighborhood news.

13. What is King's overall opinion on details in writing?
(a) Only supply the minimum.
(b) Supply key details and a couple of minor ones for color.
(c) Supply those the reader would never get on his own.
(d) Supply all major details, but let the reader fill in the minor ones.

14. When does King get the idea for Carrie?
(a) After reading about another girl.
(b) After taking a job at a high school.
(c) After watching a similar TV show.
(d) When his wife tells him a story she overheard.

15. Does King believe the reader see the image in the same way as the author?
(a) Yes, he does.
(b) If the writer describes it well, he will.
(c) Yes, if the reader reads carefully.
(d) No, not always.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to King, what are two reasons to write?

2. What happens to the person(s) on whom King bases Carrie while they were in high school?

3. What is the first object described in the image in the second chapter?

4. What does King suggest that readers who do not take writing seriously do?

5. According to King, what is the second condition that, if readers cannot accept, should be a reason to stop reading his book?

(see the answer keys)

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