View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Where does King discover horror stories?
(a) In the school library.
(b) At the newsstand.
(c) At the local theater.
(d) At his aunt and uncle's house.

2. How does King obtain money from his classmates?
(a) He writes term papers for them.
(b) He writes jokes and sells them.
(c) He writes clever short stories.
(d) He writes a novel based on one of Poe's stories and sells it at school.

3. According to King, what are two reasons to write?
(a) Writing as a passion; writing as a career.
(b) Writing as a passion; writing as a way to gain fame.
(c) Writing as a serious career; writing as a hobby.
(d) Writing for fame and glory; writing for a livelihood.

4. Where does King get a job to help pay for college?
(a) At West Point Peppermill Mfg Co.
(b) At Massachusetts Mills and Dye Co.
(c) At Worumbo Mills and Weaving.
(d) At Canon Mills and Mfg. Co.

5. What is the unusual item attached to the animal?
(a) A number.
(b) A letter.
(c) A Chinese symbol.
(d) An eye.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the second specific item King states his book on writing will NOT be about?

2. .What is the first specific item King states his book on writing will NOT be about?

3. What does the second chapter open with King presenting to the reader?

4. How does his writing help King financially?

5. When a writer sees an image in his/her head and writes it down, what is he accomplishing in regards to the reader?

Short Essay Questions

1. One of King's babysitters was particularly cruel. How might she have affected his later writings?

2. King opens the chapter, What Writing Is, with an image. What is the image and how is it described? In what ways is this image different from other images presented in books? What is King's motive in doing this? Do you think this is an effective way to allow the reader to see the scene? Why or why not?

3. What conclusions can you draw from King's comparison of writing as a career versus writing as a passion? Explain in your own words.

4. Based on the chapters, C.V., and What Writing Is, what ideas justify King's statement that writing is a serious job?

5. Why does King write? Explain in your own words based on the chapters, C.V., and What Writing Is.

6. After Tabitha King's intervention in her husband's addictions, King insisted on moving his desk. How was this symbolically important to him?

7. What facts or ideas show the beginnings of King's career as a master of horror?

8. What relationship is there between writing as a career and writing as a passion? Explain in your own words.

9. How would you summarize the different jobs King had during his early career? How might these jobs have influenced his work?

10. King was a heavy drinker and addicted to cocaine. He believed that these two elements contributed to his creativity. In terms of the chapter, C.V., do you think his belief was justified? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,212 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample