Creative Writing Test 2015

1. What is an epigraph?

Answers:

• A phrase, quotation, or poem set at the beginning of a novel

• A short plot summary on the back of a novel

• An introductory chapter written by the author

• The last sentence of a novel

2. What is an antihero?

Answers:

• A protagonist who is not obviously a "good guy"; one who has serious flaws, even ones that might be villainous.

• A hero who opposes the real hero.

• The sidekick of the hero and who is quite different from that character.

• The character in a story who is against, or "anti" the hero or protagonist.

• The hero at his/her very worst.

3. During an aside, a character:

Answers:

• Disappears momentarily, so that the reader can focus on important dialogue between other characters

• Speaks directly to the audience, without other characters listening

• Delivers a string of punchlines to jokes that his/her comedic partner sets up

• Is persuaded to act against their personal interests

4. Which of these plays a role in character development?

Answers:

• Actions

• Habits

• Dialogue

• All of these

5. What is denouement?

Answers:

• The tension between two characters at odds with each other

• Early clues that set up a 'twist' at the end of a literary work

• The story resolution that follows the climax of a literary work

• A setting which isn't real (dreams, hallucinations, etc.)

6. Ernest Hemingway, Bret Easton Ellis, Grace Paley, and Tobias Wolff are usually associated with this style of writing:

Answers:

• Naturalism

• Minimalism

• Romanticism

• Symbolism

• Modernism

7. Deus ex Machina is a literary device that ______.

Answers:

• creates an impending sense of doom

• creates a religious subtext

• alludes to the overarching themes of a novel

• quickly and unrealistically resolves a story

8. Which of these is NOT an element of the diction of a story?

Answers:

• Sentence length

• Punctuation usage

• Individual word choice

• Key symbolism used

9. Which of these terms is least like the others?

Answers:

• Aside

• Quatrain

• Monologue

• Soliloquy

10. What is a motif?

Answers:

• A flawed character

• A recurring narrative element with symbolic significance

• A plot point which distracts the protagonist from their central goal

• Any element of the setting which reflects the mindset of the character(s) inhabiting it

11. Which of these is not a figure of speech?

Answers:

• Hyperbole

• Narrative

• Personification

• Metaphor

12. Which of these refers to a four-lined stanza?

Answers:

• Ballad

• Tetris

• Sestet

• Quatrain

• Couplet

13. Which of these is a simile?

Answers:

• Life is like a box of chocolates.

• America is a melting pot.

• He is the apple of my eye.

• I'm on an emotional roller coaster.

14. What is an allegory?

Answers:

• A story with a hero who makes a personal sacrifice for the greater good

• A character who abides by a defined morality, but breaks those morals during a key plot event

• A character who abides by a defined morality, and adheres to those morals during a key plot event

• A metaphor carried through an entire work, which allows the reader to interpret further meaning beyond the literal events of the work

15. Generally employing either similes or metaphors, _______ language is not literal and requires a leap in imagination on behalf of the reader in order to describe something.

Answers:

• Comparative

• Relatory

• Chiasmus

• Figurative

16. What is an oxymoron?

Answers:

• It is a phrase, idea, event, or element which has been overused to the point of losing its meaning

• It is a grotesquely exaggerated statements whose language is intended to make a point

• It is a figure of speech that juxtaposes apparently contradictory elements but is not wrong in meaning

• It is a reference, without explanation, to a prior work, historical event, or historical person

17. Choose the sentence with correct spelling and grammar.

Answers:

• He could hear better and through farther than anyone else.

• He could here better and throw farther than anyone else.

• He could hear better and throw farther than anyone else.

• (all of these are correct)

18. Choose the sentence with correct spelling and grammar.

Answers:

• He should have taken your car to the mechanic to get its brakes fixed.

• He should of taken your car to the mechanic to get its brakes fixed.

• He should of taken your car to the mechanic to get it's brakes fixed.

• He should have taken you're car to the mechanic to get its brakes fixed.

19. Choose the sentence with correct spelling and grammar.

Answers:

• Though he thought that they were thru playing, he threw the ball back to them anyway.

• Though he thought that they were through playing, he threw the ball back to them anyway.

• Though he thought that they were threw playing, he threw the ball back to them anyway.

• Though he thought that they were threw playing, he through the ball back to them anyway.

20. Choose the sentence with correct spelling and grammar.

Answers:

• I did my part. It's up too you to do the rest.

• I did my part. Its up to you to do the rest.

• I did my part. It's up to you to do the rest.

• I did my part. It's up to you too do the rest.

21. Choose the sentence with correct spelling and grammar.

Answers:

• There is always a way to brake into the Major Leagues.

• There is always a way to break into the Major Leagues.

• There is all ways a way to brake into the Major Leagues.

• There is all ways a way to break into the Major Leagues.

22. Choose the sentence with correct spelling and grammar.

Answers:

• They're coming over after your game.

• Their coming over after your game.

• They're coming over after you're game.

• There coming over after your game.

23. What is baroque writing?

Answers:

• Writing that is inordinately complex or intricate

• Writing that focuses on French characters

• Writing that is minimalist and concise

• None of these

24. What is an "Act Break?"

Answers:

• A break in the action intended to let the actors catch their breaths.

• The "middle" of an act.

• A slow moment in a story used to let the audience "catch up"

• A crucial moment of plot which propels the story into the next act.

25. Choose the proper spelling.

Answers:

• anatomy

• anatamy

• anatimy

• anotamy

26. The sudden and unexpected resolution of a conflict by external forces is referred to as:

Answers:

• Enjambment

• Deus ex machina

• Metonymy

• Falling action

27. A bildungsroman is a novel in which the central character:

Answers:

• Goes through a maturation process over the course of the novel

• Endures several conflicts with the same antagonist (see: Batman and the Joker)

• Is incredibly successful, but with a fatal flaw that will undo them eventually

• Dies before the climax

28. What is the opposite of a non-linear narrative?

Answers:

• Redemption narrative

• Chronological narrative

• Narrative arc

• Multi-threaded narrative

29. True or False? In a story, "exposition" refers to the crucial moment at which a character's true intentions are exposed.

Answers:

• True

• False

30. A character that exists to provide contrast to another character is referred to as a:

Answers:

• Foil

• Round character

• Shadow

• Antagonist

31. Sentences using passive voice often run into problems with _________.

Answers:

• circumlocution

• glibness

• baroque writing

• circumnavigation

32. What does "verisimilitude" refer to in writing?

Answers:

• Realism or believability

• A word which means the same thing as another word

• Very similar to another character

• A character's attitude toward another character

33. "To be or not to be," is an example of what metrical foot?

Answers:

• dactyl

• trochee

• iamb

• spondee

34. In event-driven fiction:

Answers:

• Most of the action happens at a large event--a device to get plot-critical characters in the same room

• Characters make choices which propel the tension of the plot

• The entire plot takes place in the 'real world' (no dreams, fantasy elements, and so on)

• Events happen without input from the characters, who are mostly 'along for the ride.'

35. What is the defining trait of a static character?

Answers:

• Does not change their views/behavior over the course of the work

• Resolves no conflicts over the course of the work

• Does not interact with other characters in a work

• Has no motives of their own - exists only to balance other characters in a work

36. What kind of device is a red herring in literature?

Answers:

• Repeated references to an object that appears insignificant at first, but later suddenly consumes the entire narrative.

• A background detail that describes the world of the main story through metaphor.

• A rhetorical tactic of diverting attention away from an item of significance.

• A device by which an author describes a characters feelings by their attitude toward an enigmatic object.

• A device by which characters reveal their talents early on in the narrative.

37. Which defines the rules of a literary genre?

Answers:

• simile

• didact

• cliché

• convention

38. What is magical realism?

Answers:

• It is a method of using magical story elements in an otherwise normal or mundane setting

• It is a concept commenting on the power of using realistic characters

• It refers to a true story so good, most will not believe it is based on real events

• It is a method of describing magical scenes in extreme detail

39. What is hubris?

Answers:

• A certain type of character

• Hyperbolic writing

• An extreme level of arrogance

• A less important character

40. Which is the least common narrative point of view used in creative fiction?

Answers:

• Third person

• First person

• Second person

41. What word best describes an ordinary form of speech or written word, without metrical structure?

Answers:

• Verse

• Soliloquy

• Prose

• Rhyme

42. Choose the sentence with correct spelling and grammar.

Answers:

• Everyone knew that this press release was just a faint.

• Everyone knew that this press release was just a feint.

• Every one knew that this press release was just a feint.

• Everyone new that this press release was just a feint.

43. What is the difference between "affect" and "effect"?

Answers:

• Affect describes a negative outcome; effect is positive.

• Affect is the British spelling of effect.

• Effect is an adjective; Affect is a noun.

• Affect is generally a verb; effect is almost always a noun.

44. Which is NOT an example of figurative language?

Answers:

• Metaphor

• Personification

• Simile

• Alliteration

45. Which is the best example of hyperbole?

Answers:

• I answered my door and there she was - same time every night, as sure as the tide rolling in

• The criminal ripped open the door with the strength of a thousand men

• As we bolted through the alley with the stolen gems in tow, I was sure we would alert the police

• The sun peers over the horizon, eager to bathe the Earth in soothing light

46. There was a young lady of Niger Who smiled as she rode on a tiger; They returned from the ride With the lady inside, And the smile on the face of the tiger. --Edward Lear  This poem is an example of which poetic type?

Answers:

• concrete poetry

• quatrain

• tanka

• haiku

• limerick

47. Which of the following is the best example of a onomatopoeia?

Answers:

• campaigning

• screech

• run

• spin

48. True or False? The protagonist is always the most virtuous character in a work.

Answers:

• False

• True

49. What is a meet-cute in screenplay writing?

Answers:

• When two people think they are meant for each other.

• The first time the hero and heroine meet

• When the main character finds the cutest person to fall in love with.

50. What is a fable?

Answers:

• A fantasy story that is set in medieval times

• A brief story with a clear moral message

• A short story with pictures

• A story that uses magic as its predominant literary tool.

51. Choose the phrase which does not directly establish setting.

Answers:

• The shadiest street in Naples

• Pristine alligator skin boots

• A tinny hum spilling from the factory walls

• 11:35pm on Friday night

52. The ______ of a work gives the reader clues as to what they can expect from that work's setting, plot events and character archetypes, even before they read the work.

Answers:

• figurative language

• genre

• point of view

• dissonance

53. What is the defining element of a parable?

Answers:

• Heroic protagonist with superhuman abilities

• Communicates a moral lesson

• All characters reach a happy resolution

• Is based in religious imagery

54. Choose the sentence with correct spelling and grammar.

Answers:

• It's weird that he didn't lose weight after so much exercise.

• Its weird that he didn't lose weight after so much exercise.

• Its wierd that he didn't loose weight after so much exercise.

• It's weird that he didn't loose weight after so much exercise.

55. A damsel in distress, a heroic warrior and a wise old man are all examples of:

Answers:

• Archetypes

• Villains

• Biographies

• Static characters

56. The antagonist is

Answers:

• someone who tricks or deceives the hero.

• the character who makes the journey of the story.

• the character in opposition to the protagonist.

• the villain.

57. What is satire?

Answers:

• A humorous story

• A device that uses humor to deliver social criticism

• A device that uses a character with a small role to enact a significant plot shift

• An Arabian instrument that is commonly used as a motif

58. An epilogue comes _______.

Answers:

• at the end of a novel

• at the beginning of a novel

• on the back cover of a novel

• in the middle of a novel

59. Which word is misspelled?

Answers:

• Anayltical

• Champagne

• Calculating

• Deceiver

• Quench

60. True or False? "Screaming wind" is an example of personification.

Answers:

• False

• True

61. Pick the correct sentence from the following.

Answers:

• A smail key opens a big door.

• A small keye opens a big door.

• A small key opens a big door.

• A big door cannot be opened by using a small key.

• A smal key opens a big door.

62. _____ refers to the writer's implied attitude toward the characters and events of a work.

Answers:

• Pace

• Tone

• Diction

• Presence

63. What is third person-omniscient perspective?

Answers:

• A story that deals with multiple storylines at once

• A story that starts by telling the reader how the story ends

• A story presented by an unidentified narrator that knows everything that is happening within the story world

• A perspective where everything about every character is known immediately

64. A story told to teach a life lesson is sometimes called a:

Answers:

• Drama

• Dramatis personae

• Sestina

• Didact

• Parable

65. A literary term meaning before a war; more specifically before the American Civil War.

Answers:

• Antebellum

• Antebellome

• Antepugna

• Antipugna

66. What refers to the order in which subjects, objects and verbs are arranged in a sentence?

Answers:

• Meter

• Tone

• Verse

• Syntax

67. True or False? Allegories are always metaphors, but metaphors are not always allegories.

Answers:

• True

• False

68. How is a logos argument different from a pathos argument in writing a persuasion paper?

Answers:

• Logos uses data, facts. logic to support claim, while pathos argument appeals to feelings and emotions.

• Logos is not used as often as pathos, because its overly-articulate nature and reliance on convention can be burdensome to some.

69. What is a black moment?

Answers:

• When the hero must be kept in the dark.

• When the hero/heroine struggles to wake up.

• When all seems lost for the hero/heroine.

70. Choose the sentence with correct spelling and grammar.

Answers:

• She sold their seashells by the seashore.

• She sold there seashells buy the seashore.

• She sold there seashells by the seashore.

• She sold their seashells buy the seashore.

71. The most intense part of a story is called...

Answers:

• Climax

• Conflict

• Epigraph

• Setting

72. Which sentence is grammatically correct?

Answers:

• Your going to do your homework, aren't you?

• You're going to do your homework, aren't you?

• You're going to do you're homework, aren't you?

• Your going to do you're homework, aren't you?

73. Choose the proper spelling.

Answers:

• sofistacation

• saphistication

• sofistication

• sophistication

74. What is the correct spelling for this word:

Answers:

• emphises

• emphesis

• emphasis

75. What is hackneyed writing?

Answers:

• Writing that uses excessive cliches or familiar terms

• Very blunt and straightforward writing

• Writing that uses meticulous details to weave together multiple plotlines

• Highly descriptive writing

76. What are the three basic elements of a story?

Answers:

• Tone, Pace, Atmosphere

• Character, Plot, Moral of the Story

• Character, Setting, Plot

• Theme, Character, Setting

• Beginning, Middle, End

77. Our story's narrator, James, tells the reader he's been sober for three years. When his girlfriend finds a pile of empty liquor bottles under his bed, we know James is:

Answers:

• A flat character

• An unreliable narrator

• A source of thematic dissonance

• The antagonist

78. A narrator that has insight into every character's internal thoughts is:

Answers:

• omnipotent

• omniscient

• omnifocused

• omnipresent

79. The narration of "Ender's Game" frequently reveals insights into Ender's internal thought process, and author Orson Scott Card uses the pronoun "he" to refer to its protagonist. What point of view does this novel use?

Answers:

• Distant first person

• Close first person

• Distant third person

• Close third person

80. Which is not an element of a story arc?

Answers:

• Climax

• Denouement

• Conflict

• Theme

81. "Tiger, tiger, BURNING BRIGHT...," is an example of which of the following stylistic devices?

Answers:

• simile

• metaphor

• synecdoche

• personification

82. An example of synecdoche might be:

Answers:

• Nate grabbed a piece of tissue paper and wiped a lone tear from his cheek.

• The cab of the tractor-trailer was illuminated by the mini-fridge every time Nathan reached for a beer.

• The semi-truck rolled the road relentlessly.

• Oh I wish I were a truck-drivin' man!

• The eighteen-wheeler barreled down the lonely highway, with Nathan sipping on a cold one.

83. Which sentence makes use of synecdoche ?

Answers:

• We call our firm's best saleswoman The Lioness, for her innate ability to pounce on a client's weaknesses to close a favorable deal

• In my famished state, climbing that hill felt like scaling Mt. Everest

• When Arnold won the lottery, he blew the entirety of his first check on a new set of wheels

• He came, he saw, he conquered - and then he was overthrown

84. An example of an amphilogism below would be:

Answers:

• He didn't call me after our date.

• I never heard back after our date.

• After our date, she never called again.

• I never heard back from her after our date.

• She never called me again after our date.

85. Which is true of a haiku?

Answers:

• Haiku are most appropriate in times of sadness.

• Syllable count must correspond with rhythm and rhyme.

• Haiku are a natural Asian evolution of the Portuguese diamante.

• Words are measured by metrical feet or by syllables.

• Haiku are required to have at least seventeen words per poem (5, 7, 5).