View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does King say about adverbs?
(a) To include them when characters are being emotional.
(b) To limit their use.
(c) To use them to intensify meaning.
(d) To use colorful adverbs to make the writing more vivid.

2. King's comparison of a handyman's toolbox with a writer's tool box is which figure of speech?
(a) Simile.
(b) Epigram.
(c) Metaphor.
(d) Irony.

3. How does King feel about figures of speech?
(a) He thinks that writers should use other ways of transmitting their thoughts.
(b) He says a writer should avoid similes and metaphors that are cliché and make little sense.
(c) He says they should be avoided.
(d) He thinks they should be used extensively.

4. What activity might cause King to work on days he normally doesn't work?
(a) Being in the middle of a new novel.
(b) Having a deadline to meet.
(c) Being sick on days previous to the holiday.
(d) Having a writer's block and not producing his usual amount of words previously.

5. According to King, what characteristics should all characters possess?
(a) Characteristics which make them seem perfect.
(b) Characteristics that make the reader sympathetic.
(c) Evil characteristics as well as good ones.
(d) Endearing qualities.

6. Why is it important to King that a writer not be distracted while working?
(a) He thinks writers achieve their best work in solitude.
(b) He feels that distractions cause a writer to lose the desire to work.
(c) He believes that distractions make achieving a high number of words impossible.
(d) He suggests that writers need solitude to clarify their thoughts.

7. King has been called a hack over the years. What is a hack?
(a) A literary drudge.
(b) An excellent writer.
(c) A writer of trivial matter.
(d) A writer with no talent.

8. Which genre does King feel Misery will belong to when he begins to write the story?
(a) A short story.
(b) A novel.
(c) A screenplay.
(d) A novella.

9. According to King, what is the most important tool for a writer?
(a) An excellent computer.
(b) Lots of notes.
(c) Good typing skills.
(d) Vocabulary.

10. According to King, grammar rules were _______________ .
(a) Necessary for communication.
(b) Convenient conventions.
(c) Made to be broken.
(d) To be followed.

11. What does King help his uncle fix as a child?
(a) A leaky faucet in the bathroom.
(b) A window screen.
(c) The kitchen sink.
(d) The driveway.

12. What are King's feelings on grammar study?
(a) Lengthy grammar study is unnecessary.
(b) Grammar should be studied only through high school.
(c) Grammar should be learned intuitively.
(d) Grammar should be studied at length.

13. What does King consider to be the best tool in making a writer?
(a) Practice writing.
(b) Reading.
(c) Going to writers' retreats.
(d) Taking writing courses in different genres.

14. How does King paint the main character from The Dead Zone?
(a) He is too perfect.
(b) He has his flaws and is thoroughly evil.
(c) He is evil but loving.
(d) As a nice, normal boy who is flawed.

15. Why does King emphasize the importance of reading?
(a) He wants writers to appreciate different styles of writing.
(b) He thinks that writers need to see what other writers are writing about.
(c) He believes a writer learns his craft from reading.
(d) He feels that writers need to widen their horizons.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to King, what is the best technique to use with description?

2. In the chapter, Toolbox, what advice does King give the reader?

3. What book does King recommend for grammar study?

4. How does King feel about writers improving their work?

5. What action does King believe a writer should take with respect to grammar?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 706 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample