Creative Writing Quiz questions and Answers Units 5-8
What about a sketch story differentiates it from a short story?
A sketch story contains very little plot.
Alana was looking for a highlighter in Kevin's room when she saw on his desk a short story he had written. She read it and, as a writer herself, decided to help Kevin out by leaving some notes on his document. She proofread it carefully and commented about how much she loved his dialogues. What important point about critiquing someone else's work did Alana forget?
A writer's work should never be critiqued without their permission.
What is the relationship between a written dialogue and a real-life conversation?
A written dialogue is an impression of a real-life conversation.
What is a difficulty that amateur writers commonly run into when crafting dialogue?
All their characters sound the same.
Mr. Shepard's writing student Duke refuses to edit his work, claiming that his artistic process involves respecting his original writing decisions. Why is Duke's reasoning invalid?
Even the greatest writers must edit their work.
A writer should only revise a work once it is fully completed rather than revising it as they go.
False
Characters must be in disagreement with each other for a dialogue to be dynamic.
False
What is the main distinction between creative nonfiction and general nonfiction?
General nonfiction presents facts in a more analytical manner than creative nonfiction.
Valentina wrote a novella about a woman unintentionally falling in love with a baker while her husband was away at war. Although Valentina's editor complimented the raw emotion that comes across in the story, he wants Valentina to rewrite much of the dialogue to vary the length of the lines. What is MOST likely the issue with the dialogue in Valentina's novella?
It is too repetitive and all sounds the same.
What term BEST describes the process an author applies when they use practical methods to make dialogue sound real?
crafting
Though Monty and Elena just met, they really bonded over the fact they are both writers who work with public figures. Monty makes a living writing celebrity biographies, and Elena writes speeches for politicians. What type of writing are both Monty's and Elena's works examples of?
creative nonfiction
Tobias tells the school librarian that he wants to read one of the first poems ever written. The librarian says she knows just the thing and disappears behind a bookshelf. She re-emerges with an epic written around the 3rd century BCE. What text is the librarian MOST likely suggesting for Tobias to check out?
The Ramayana
Fred is a screenwriter working on a script about two young women who broke into a zoo one night on a dare. Fred indicates the location of each scene, but he doesn't spend much time describing it in vivid detail. Why is Fred MOST likely sparse with the details when it comes to setting the scene?
The actors and directors will fill in the details with their artistry as they make the film.
Minnie's editor says that she needs to work on giving the impression of a real-life discussion in her writing rather than replicating it. What is MOST likely the issue with Minnie's dialogues?
They are boring.
Editing a printed copy of their work gives a writer the advantage of objective distance.
True
Amelia includes the following simile in her poem: The man was as strong as a team of oxen. What does Amelia's simile MOST likely add to her poem?
accessibility
What kind of burden is shared between narrative nonfiction and fiction?
burden of illustration
"Screeched," "yelled," and "murmured" are all examples of what?
dialogue tags
What type of poetry is defined by its goal to teach its readers something?
didactic
Maia knows she wants to be a writer. She makes an appointment with her guidance counselor at school to help her determine what kind of writing career she would be best suited for. Maia says that though she has amazing people skills and endless patience, she really doesn't like the spotlight and prefers anonymity. What type of writing is Maia MOST likely to find success and enjoyment in?
ghostwriting
Trish is looking for an eye rhyme for the word 'shear.' Which of the following words BEST suits Trish's purposes?
pear
What kind of a rhyme is represented by the words 'desk' and 'grotesque'?
perfect rhyme
What two things separate the four sub-genres of nonfiction from each other?
perspective and intent
Walter's friend Ray tells him that writing has a business side that could be applicable to Walter even if Walter is more concerned with the writing process itself. For this reason, Ray proposes that Walter should try to better understand a certain topic. What topic is Ray MOST likely recommending that Walter learns more about?
trends in the publishing industry
Writing a nonfiction narrative frequently requires the writer to gather even more facts than they would need to gather in traditional reporting.
True
Zana is thrilled because her hard-to-please editor finally gave her a compliment on her persuasive article. The only issue is that Zana doesn't know what her editor meant when she praised Zana's use of domain specific vocabulary and encouraged her to keep using it. What should Zana MOST likely do again if she wants to continue pleasing her editor?
Use words that are unique to the topic of her essay.
Talia wrote an expository piece about school shootings in America. Her editor thinks the piece will be more effective as a persuasive essay and asks Talia to make the necessary adjustments. What does Talia MOST likely need to add to her piece to satisfy her editor?
a layer of opinion
Thea is in the revision phase of writing her novel. She is tightening up a dramatic scene to make sure her message reverberates and has resonance. What section of her novel is Thea MOST likely revising at the moment?
the conclusion
Which two characteristics that describe creative writing are also MOST responsible for making it extraordinarily difficult to critique?
subjective and stylistic
The stylistic device known as euphony comes from a Greek word that means what?
sweet-voiced
What kind of nonfiction writing is MOST likely to be used in the educational sphere?
expository
What kind of a rhyme is represented by the words 'laughter' and 'daughter'?
eye rhyme
Dry facts about the protagonist's childhood should never be communicated through dialogue.
False
Writers need to take time away from their work in order to achieve apathy towards it when they come back.
False
Petra received a low grade on her creative writing assignment. According to her teacher, Petra's dialogue does not reflect character individuality. Fortunately, Petra has a chance to address the issue and resubmit her assignment for a new grade. What does Petra MOST likely need to do to get a higher grade?
Visualize how each character looks and sounds by stepping into their shoes.
Abigail wants to write a persuasive nonfiction piece about the value of babysitters to new parents. What must Abigail include in the introduction for her work to qualify as persuasive nonfiction?
a position on the subject
What term BEST describes a plan or goal that steers someone's behavior?
agenda
Lex wants to create a tongue twister to share with his friends at recess so they can compare who can say it the fastest without slipping up. What stylistic device will Lex MOST likely use to create his tongue twister?
alliteration
The fourth line of Darren's poem reads: The clever carpenter clutched the kangaroo as the creature drank a cup of coffee. This line BEST represents the use of what stylistic device?
alliteration
What term BEST describes non-fiction writers who create short pieces on topics such as food, travel, or medicine?
article writers
David is writing a dialogue between a lifeguard and a surfer. He interrupts their conversation with a brief narratorial comment about the wind picking up and the sky becoming darker. What literary term BEST describes what David has added to his story through the interruption?
context
Katia is working on a fun project helping a company sell their new line of perfume. She is responsible for writing about the perfume in a way that will encourage anyone who reads the ad to immediately rush to the store for a bottle. Katia is MOST likely what kind of writer?
copywriter
Delilah wrote a piece about the coastal Australian town Port Campbell. She included facts about the population, geography, and history of the town, as well as accounts of the scenery meant to capture the town's feeling. What kind of writing is Delilah's writing MOST likely an example of?
descriptive nonfiction
Drew wrote a paragraph about his room in his childhood home. He wrote about the lime green wallpaper, the smell of his mom's homemade food always sneaking in through the vents, and the clanging of the train that ran almost through their backyard. He also admitted to the secret compartment in his bedside drawer where he kept candy that tasted even sweeter than normal because he wasn't supposed to be having it. What type of writing does Drew's paragraph MOST likely represent?
descriptive nonfiction
Elouise often gets praised by literary critics for the soothing effect that her poems seem to have on her readers. She achieves this effect by bringing together melodic words and phrases, often with long vowel sounds. What kind of language is Elouise MOST likely using in her poetry?
euphonic
A pair of words that are spelled similarly but sound entirely different when read aloud are BEST described as what kind of rhyme?
eye rhyme
What literary term BEST defines a grouping of stressed and non-stressed syllables in a poem?
foot
What is a strong query letter capable of doing for a writer?
increasing their chances of a sale
What is the easiest way to determine which syllables of a word are stressed?
Put the word in a sentence and read it aloud.
Jakob wants to get a publisher for his novel and has written his first query letter ever. What is the next step Jakob should take before sending the letter to a publisher?
Get it reviewed by a professional editor.
Devon wrote a thesis for his persuasive essay: babies spend a lot of time crying. His teacher gave Devon a low mark on the assignment and told him to rework his thesis before writing the essay. What is MOST likely the reason that Devon's thesis was ineffective?
It was not debatable.
Pippi wrote a funny dialogue between two roommates for her short story. She's very happy with the draft but wants to add context to the conversation. What is the BEST way for Pippi to do this?
Make note of what the characters are doing as they are talking.
An anonymous reviewer wrote a mean-spirited critique of Ian's novel, claiming that the opening is full of dry facts. Ian is receptive to feedback, so he reviewed the opening, but he disagrees with the critique. Ian believes the facts are necessary for the exposition. How would Ian MOST likely describe the purpose of the facts in the opening of his novel?
They help establish a foundation for what is to come.
The early stage of editing should focus on large structural elements rather than small, grammatical issues.
True
Sallie is performing a reading of one of Shakespeare's sonnets. If she wants to be historically accurate, which instrument should she get to accompany her reading?
lyre
Which term BEST describes a figure of speech that compares something literally to something else rather than figuratively?
metaphor
To show her students the power of editing by reading work aloud, Mrs. Duffy asks Harris to read his story while the other students observe and try to identify specific moments when Harris does something. What kind of moments has Mrs. Duffy MOST likely instructed the other students to watch out for as Harris reads?
moments when Harris stumbles over his words
What sub-genre of nonfiction is MOST closely related to fiction?
narrative
Evangeline is known for her objective writing style—she writes pieces without revealing a shred of her opinion on the subject matter. Franklin's style is completely the opposite of Evangeline's. He has strong beliefs and isn't shy about sharing them in the pieces that he writes. In what kind of written work would both Evangeline's and Franklin's writing MOST likely appear?
newspaper
What kind of expository text is MOST likely to allow for some creativity?
self-help book