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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. Why does it prove valuable to King to work for a local newspaper?

2. How does King describe the image discussed in chapter two?

3. Why does King throw the story Carrie in the trash can?

4. 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?

5. King's early addiction soon added another one. What is it?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. 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?

5. Can you explain how King created the character of Carrie and why he disliked her so?

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

7. In what way is the book, On Writing, to be different from King's usual work?

8. As a child, King had many chronic ear and throat infections. How might these illnesses lead King to writing?

9. King believed that writing is telepathy. What is telepathy in the context of this statement?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

King has been called a hack. He defends himself by saying that throughout history, other who were called hacks, are now considered important writers. How would you evaluate King's body of work, especially the book, On Writing?

Essay Topic 2

When King says there are some elements of writing that are highly unexplainable, what is he trying to say? King also claims writing is magic. What evidence can you find in the book, On Writing, that writing is magic? Defend your answer with specific examples from the text.

Essay Topic 3

King is a prolific writer yet he mentions writer's block in several places in the book, On Writing. Do you think this has been a hindrance in King's writing? What judgment would you make about King's frustration with writer's block? Explain your answer.

(see the answer keys)

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