View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. When does King begin to write stories?

3. What does one of King's babysitters do to him?

4. Where does King discover horror stories?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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. When King asks the writer to accept 'the magic of writing, but to take it seriously', what is he saying?

5. What inferences can you make from King's statement that writing is magic? Explain in your own words.

6. 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?

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

8. In what way is the chapter, What Writing Is, different from the usual book on writing?

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

10. Why does King want his readers to put his book down if they are unable to accept that writing is magic?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What factors led to the publication of Carrie? Why do you think the novel was a success? Use ideas from the text to support your claims.

Essay Topic 2

King claims that in order to be a good writer, you must read. Why does King believe reading to be important to a writer? What does he say about writers who don't read? Cite reasons from the text to support your argument.

Essay Topic 3

King states that good writers can improve, but bad writers will never be good writers.How can good writers improve? Why won't bad writers improve? Cite reasons from the text to support your argument.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 977 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample