Creative Writing Test - Fiction (UK Version)
In
creative writing, the term 'simile' refers to ______________.
a. a
compound noun
b. the
comparison of two nouns or two verbs using a metaphor
c. a
character who smiles a lot
d. a
figure of speech in which the author refers to something as the opposite of
what it actually is
e. a
figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things are compared, usually
introduced by the words like or as
The
term 'stream of consciousness' refers to ______________.
a. the
mind of the author
b. the
author's desire to keep writing and ward off writer's block
c. a
stream that has a mind of its own
d. a
style of writing in which the author records in a continuous manner - and often
with reduced punctuation and less attention to grammatical forms - the
procession of random thoughts that passes through his or her mind
Why
are short stories sometimes more challenging than novels for writers to write?
a. Readers
expect more from short stories.
b. The
characters and plot must be introduced and developed quickly rather than over a
period of time.
c. Short
stories have more characters.
d. All
of the above
e. None
of the above
A
plot synopsis is ____________________ .
a. a
summary of the main plot in relation to the characters and the main events
b. an
expansion of the main plot in terms of what could be included for an even
longer version
c. a
numbered list of plot points with no reference to characters
d. an
alternative version of the story for editing purposes
In
terms of interacting with another writer's characters, plagiarism is when
___________________ .
a. the
characters are identical
b. one
writer steals characters or ideas from another writer without changing his or
her style of writing in representing those ideas or characters on the page
c. one
writer steals another writer's belongings in real life
d. one
writer borrows and sufficiently changes the characters created by another
writer, so that they no longer resemble their originals
Literary
agents usually have _________ clients or authors on their client list.
a. 1-5
b. 1-10
c. 1-100
d. 1-200
e. None
of the above: the number of clients can vary a great deal.
In
fiction writing, the term 'persona' refers to ________________.
a. a
person in the story who has morphed into multiple people
b. the
moment at which a character takes the action very personally
c. the
entire cast of characters
d. the
voice adopted by the author to tell the story, which may or may not be like the
real author's voice
In
fiction writing, the term 'in medias res' refers to __________________.
a. the
middle of a story
b. a
person who meddles in the action
c. the
technique of beginning a story in the middle of the action
d. the
technique of telling a story in reverse order of action
In
fiction writing, a 'foil' is ______________.
a. the
fundamental and usually universal concept expressed through the story
b. the
protagonist
c. the
hurried dialogue between two characters that expresses frustration or
unhappiness
d. the
antagonist
e. a
character who calls attention, by contrast, to the good qualities or traits of
the protagonist or other characters
Is
the following sentence true or false?
When
an author agrees to give a publisher worldwide audio rights, he or she gives
the publisher the right to record the author's written work for listeners
anywhere in the world.
a. True
b. False
In
a fictional work, the section that appears before the first chapter - and that
is not the introduction, table of contents or dedication - is most likely a/an
_________ .
a. afterword
b. prologue
c. marketing
trick
d. by-line
e. a
and b
In
fiction writing, 'foreshadowing' is a term for __________________.
a. the
shadows that lurk in the back of a character's mind
b. the
clues in the narrative that give an indication of or pre-empt the future plot
or story
c. the
tying up of all loose ends at the end of the story
d. the
rebels in a gothic horror story
e. None
of the above
A
print run is _____________ .
a. the
printing of a book that occurs at one particular time and for a determined
number of copies
b. the
printed copies of a book that are quickly distributed to the bookstores
c. the
reprinting of titles that have sold out at the retail stores
d. the
author's term for a particular kind of editing that assures good quality
printing
What
do inverted commas mean when used in fiction dialogue?
a. Skip
to the next page.
b. They
denote words like 'said' or 'replied'.
c. The
dialogue does not specifically identify who is talking.
d. The
dialogue specifically signifies someone is talking.
According
to the old adage about making every significant detail count, if a gun is
placed on the wall in the first part of a story, ________________________ .
a. it
should fall off sooner rather than later
b. it
should be ignored
c. it
should be fired by the end of the story
d. it
should remain there
In
general, the plot of a novel or short story is best described by which of the
following?
a. The
arc of the story from the end to the beginning
b. The
mystery at the heart of the tale, especially one involving a secret plan
c. The
plotting of the characters
d. The
significant points of story development that tell the story
e. c
and d
A
good novel or novella often has __________
points of view.
a. one
or more
b. five
c. ten
d. half
a dozen from different genders
What
is typesetting?
a. The
first print-run of a book
b. The
laying out of a book in terms of how the book will actually look when printed
c. The
editorial method in which proofs are passed between publisher and author
d. The
name for the code that publishers and literary agents use when deciding whether
to offer an author a contract or not
Which
of the following best defines a collection of interconnected short stories?
a. A
collection of short novels that feature characters who appear in other novels
b. A
collection of stories in which the same character appears in all of the stories
c. A
series of short stories that share similar themes or characters within the same
overall work
d. A
collection of stories in which each story shares the same subject matter
The
'climax' of a story is ____________________ .
a. the
very ending
b. the
very middle
c. the
highest point in the story or conflict just before potential resolution
d. a
sequel to a work
e. All
of the above
A
story is often said to have three parts: a beginning, a middle and an end. What
are these parts sometimes called?
a. The
premise, the pause and the demise
b. The
run-up, the walk-on and the run-off
c. The
leap, the steady and the fall
d. The
exposition, the middle section and the denouement
Which
of the following describes language that refers to meanings other than the
literal meaning?
a. Symbolic
or figurative
b. Stream
of consciousness
c. Symbiotic
or parasitic
d. Open-ended
e. None
of the above
A
line break in a story is often associated with what kind of change in the
action or narrative?
a. A
change in tense
b. A
change in tension
c. A
change in time or space
d. A
breaking and entering
e. A
break for comedy / tragedy
___________
is a method by which an author enters into a contract with a publishing
company, at the author's expense, to have his or her manuscript printed in book
form.
a. E-publishing
through the author's own website
b. Professional
journaling
c. Self-publishing
d. A
query letter
e. Third-party
printing
In
terms of how a story is told, "POV" means ________.
a. pick
of vice
b. particle
of vector
c. piece
of venom
d. part
of version
e. point
of view
What
is the difference between a closed plot and an open plot?
a. An
open plot involves marriage at the end, while a closed plot involves murder.
b. An
open plot is one in which conflict is resolved at the end, while a closed plot
is one in which conflict is not resolved.
c. A
closed plot is one in which conflict is resolved at the end, while an open plot
is one in which conflict is not resolved.
d. There
is no difference between an open and closed plot.
In
his book Aspects of the Novel, E. M. Forster famously described characters as
'flat' or 'round'. Which of the following best describes flat
characters as opposed to round characters?
a. Round
characters are one-dimensional, often with a single character trait, while flat
characters are more believable because they have a fuller personality with
multiple character traits.
b. Flat
characters are physically flat, while round characters are physically round.
c. Flat
characters are major characters, while round characters are minor characters.
d. Flat
characters are one-dimensional, often with a single character trait, while
round characters are more believable because they have a fuller personality
with multiple character traits.
What
is a copyright?
a. The
rights an author licenses to an editor to alter the original manuscript
b. The
photocopies of an author's manuscript
c. The
authority an author gives to a book agent to sell his or her work
d. The
legal right granted to an author or publisher to exclusive publication, copy,
sale, or distribution of a creative work
e. The
legal self-promotion an author engages in to sell his or her work
In
copyediting, red ink and blue ink generally signify which kinds of changes?
a. Both
are used to show deletions, neither to show additions.
b. Both
are used for any type of change.
c. Both
are used to show additions, neither to show deletions.
d. Blue
ink is used to show additions, and red ink is used to show deletions.
e. a
and b
Is
the following sentence true or false?
When
you agree to first UK serial rights, you give a publisher the first right to
publish your work in serial form only in the UK; they would have to negotiate
any other rights separately.
a. True
b. False
Publishing
companies are often called publishing ___________ .
a. super-conglomerates
b. corporations
c. houses
d. cottages
e. None
of the above
A
flashback is _____________________ .
a. a
brighter, more positive moment for a character or for the tone of the story as
a whole
b. a
flashy sequence during which the style of writing becomes disjointed, similar
to modernist writing
c. a
section in which the narrative goes back in time, often within the mind of a
character, to events preceding the current action
d. a
section of narrative immediately following a flash-forward
If
the narrator of a story refers to him or herself as "I", which of the
following perspectives is being used?
a. Omniscient
b. Ambivalent
c. First-person
d. Third-person
e. Second-person
What
is the difference between a publisher's 'front list' and its 'back list'?
a. The
front list is put in the window, and the back list stays in the office.
b. The
front list contains the titles that have gone on sale in the current year,
while the back list are the titles that are older than frontlist title.
c. The
front list is marketed, while the back list is not.
d. The
front list is contains the names of genre writers, while the back list contains
the names of literary writers.
Which
of the following is the best definition of a novella?
a. A
short story
b. A
collection of sonnets
c. A
short novel
d. All
of the above
According
to Ernest Hemingway's "iceberg theory" for determining the power of a
narrative and the impression it makes on a reader, which of the following
statements is most true?
a. Most
of the story's effect should be below the surface and conveyed by relatively
fewer words on the page.
b. More
words should be used on the page, with the effect on the reader being reduced.
c. Stories
should be cold and always have selfish characters.
d. All
of the above
In
terms of time, a story without temporal disjunctions, flashbacks or dream
sequences that could confuse the main action is said to be _______________.
a. plain
b. over-determined
c. non-linear
d. linear
e. None
of the above
Which
of the following best describes a 'roman a clef' (novel with a key)?
a. A
novel written in French
b. A
novel with a key attached to the front cover
c. A
novel with a map or family tree in the front that relates to the action
d. A
novel in which actual events and/or people are depicted as fictional events
and/or characters
Which
of the following statements best illustrates the primary purpose of writing
dialogue?
a. Dialogue
shares information by narrating the story.
b. Dialogue
is less important than other aspects of story-telling such as setting, theme,
and characterization.
c. Dialogue
propels the plot forward through a character's actions rather than through his
words.
d. Dialogue
reflects the speaking voice of the character.
The
'denouement' of a story is its _____________.
a. middle
part
b. exposition
c. conflict
d. premise
e. resolution