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This quiz consists of 5 multiple choice and 5 short answer questions through Chapter 1.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What animal, according to Dillard, is an analogy for characters in a writer's book "taking over"?
(a) A shark.
(b) The sea star.
(c) The lion.
(d) The caterpillar.

2. Which insect is discussed in the book as part of an entomological experiment?
(a) A butterfly.
(b) Phataria.
(c) A fly.
(d) A worm.

3. How did Washington writer, Charlie Butts, write fiction in order to gain momentum?
(a) He did not rise from his chair until writing 10 pages.
(b) He wrote while running mindless errands.
(c) He repeatedly left the house and wrote quickly upon return.
(d) He left every last written page in the middle of a sentence.

4. What does Dillard say many people prefer to the written word?
(a) Recordings.
(b) Life.
(c) Film.
(d) TV.

5. What do experienced writers urge young men and women to learn, according to Chapter 1?
(a) A useful trade.
(b) How to spell.
(c) Word definitions.
(d) Shakesperian plays.

Short Answer Questions

1. Under what circumstances did Rabbi Uri of Strelisk tell his family to dispose of his manuscripts?

2. Dillard refers to writing as changing "..from an expression of your notions to an epistemological tool." What does epistemological mean?

3. How long does it generally take to write a book?

4. What question does Dillard say a writer must ask when considering random scenes that come to mind?

5. In an analogy about a photographer, why did the photographer say he brought the same rejected photograph for judgment every year?

(see the answer key)

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