Creative Writing Test - Non-fiction (UK Version)
What
is 'rhetoric'?
a. Expressive
writing as opposed to creative non-fiction
b. Simple
prose that doesn't draw attention to itself
c. Questions
and statements mingled together
d. Argumentative
or persuasive language
What
is 'bias'?
a. The
similarity between ideas
b. The
negative feeling between two ideas in a work of journalistic non-fiction
c. The
specific tone of a work, or specific voice of the writer
d. When
an author prejudices the reader in favour of one side of a subject by not
covering the topic fairly
What
does it mean if a screenplay is 'optioned' by a television or film production
company?
a. The
exclusive right to purchase the screenplay at some time in the future has been
bought.
b. The
screenplay has been bought and will definitely be made into a film, and the
screenwriter will receive a royalty.
c. The
screenplay has been partially bought and will now pass through re-writes before
being returned to the screenwriter for a final polish.
d. The
screenplay will be resold to another film or television company.
The
phrase 'The tree's dark fingers reached out for him' demonstrates the use of
which of the following literary devices?
a. Simile
b. Metaphor
c. Alliteration
d. Mimesis
What
does 'high concept' mean in screenplay writing?
a. A
simple premise that describes a proposed film in just a few sentences, often by
juxtaposing two known ideas.
b. A
production with a large budget
c. A
very artistic, conceptual approach to filmmaking
d. A
complex idea that is turned into a relatively short film
Which
of the following is NOT a movie genre?
a. Horror
b. Cartoon
c. Legal
Thriller
d. Romantic
Comedy
In
theatre terminology, what does 'stage left' mean?
a. The
last point at which an actor left the stage
b. The
left side of the stage from the audience's point of view
c. The
left side of the stage from the actor's point of view
d. It
varies depending on the perspective of the actor
In
any creative endeavour, what is meant by the term 'development hell'?
a. The
initiation of a period of development that lasts 3-6 months
b. The
end of a long development process at which point the decision is made NOT to
proceed to production
c. A
play that involves satanic elements, or a comic visit to hell itself
d. The
period of frustrating delay that can occur when the development process lasts
too long
What
is 'falling metre'?
a. Metrical
feet in a line that move from stressed to unstressed syllables
b. Metrical
feet in a line that move from unstressed to stressed syllables
c. Same
as alliteration
d. Free
verse
e. All
of the above
How
long does it generally take, from manuscript submission to final publication,
for a non-fiction book to pass through the full editorial process and off-set
(not digital) printing process?
a. from
3 to 6 weeks
b. from
3 weeks to 3 months
c. from
3 months to 1 year
d. from
2 years to 10 years
Is
it better to present creative work (such as a non-fiction book) on a single Web
page, or to spread it out over several pages?
a. It
depends on the work: a very short work could fit on one page, but a non-fiction
book would be better spread across multiple pages (e.g., a chapter per page).
b. Always
present a creative work on one page so as not to interrupt the flow.
c. Always
spread a creative work, no matter its length, across several pages; doing so
will generate more URLs and, therefore, a larger readership.
d. Regardless
of its length, a whole work should never be published online.
What
is "metonymy"?
a. A
meteoric rise to success
b. Same
as 'synonymous'
c. Rhyming
couplets
d. A
closely related word that is substituted for another word, object or idea
e. Two
words with exactly the same meaning
The
greatest benefit of publishing online is _____________; the greatest drawback
is _____________.
a. access
to greater readership; not having a print presence (e.g., in bookstores)
b. the
speed of delivery; fewer sales
c. affordability;
that people don't respect digital publishing
d. There
is no real difference between online and print publishing.
What
is a 'heroic couplet'?
a. The opening
four lines of a poem
b. A
pair of rhymed lines in iambic pentameter
c. The
rhymed first and last lines of a poem
d. Poetry
in free verse with an epic or heroic subject matter
What
is 'free verse'?
a. Epic
verse
b. Poetry
that is given away free with longer works
c. More
modern poetry with no prescribed pattern or structure
d. Rhyming
couplets
e. None
of the above
What
is an 'analogy'?
a. The
opposite of what is stated, often with ironic effect
b. Composite
word for a postscript, glossary, index or bibliography
c. A
comparison of two similar ideas or objects to make a point about the first one;
a kind of comparative example
d. The
repetition of beginning consonant and vowel sounds in a line of poetry
Regarding
the inclusion of creative expression in non-fiction writing, which of the
following statements is most true?
a. Non-fiction
writing should always be factually verifiable, but that does not preclude
creative style or expression as long as the creative expression serves an
overall purpose of conveying facts, information and learning.
b. Non-fiction
is required to be only 75% truthful; the remainder can be given over to
creative expression.
c. Non-fiction
should always aim to be as creative and imaginative as fiction, occasionally at
the cost of verifiable truth.
d. None
of the above
What
is a 'pun'?
a. A
bucket for audience tips
b. A
so-called 'play on words', or the comic use of a single word with two or more
meanings
c. A
stage prompt
d. A
character foil
What
is an 'indie' production company?
a. One
based in the state of Indiana, USA
b. A
production company that is independent of major studio financing
c. A
production company that has a certain youth appeal, but that is still backed by
a major studio
d. A
theatrical production based on the Indiana Jones films
Creative
writing or blogging - especially when the format is interactive and allows
comments or provides discussion rooms for readers to express their own views -
is said to be a part of which of the following web generations?
a. Web
pages
b. WWW
for Dummies
c. The
Internet 1.1
d. Web
2.0
e. All
of the above
In
screenplay writing, the abbreviation 'b.g.' stands for ____________ .
a. background
b. big
gun
c. beautiful
generation
d. big
gap
e. None
of the above
When
staging a play, what does the abbreviation 'SPFX' stand for?
a. Special
Entrance
b. Special
Effects
c. Second
Prompter
d. Special
Affects
e. Extra
Speaker
What
is expressive writing (as opposed to expository or persuasive writing)?
a. Writing
whose main aim is to succinctly describe an object in the world
b. Argumentative
writing with a rhetorical aim
c. Writing
whose main aim is to explore personal experiences and which is focused on the
writer instead of on a subject or even on technical 'correctness' of expression
d. Writing
that expresses a political or social opinion
e. b
and d
What
is a 'quatrain'?
a. A
four-line stanza or grouping of four lines of verse
b. A
two-line stanza written in free verse
c. The
last quarter of a poem, rounded to the nearest stanza
d. The
four parts of any work of art
e. b
and d
Which
of the following is NOT a type of personal journal writing?
a. Dream
book or log
b. Diary
or memoir
c. Electronic
journal
d. Spiritual
or personal growth journal
e. Short
story collection
f. Autobiography
or life writing
It's
a good idea to write a journal on a word processor rather than in a notebook
because ____________ .
a. a
word processor allows you to make multiple copies and reduces the risk of
losing your writing
b. your
computer is less likely to get stolen
c. if
you ever try to get your writing published, it is already in a typeset format
d. a
and c
e. None
of the above
What
does it mean to 'green-light' a project?
a. To
temporarily delay a production
b. To
give the go-ahead to start a production
c. That
the production has made over $1 million
d. That
the production is a safety-related play about traffic lights
A/an
___________ is a short, traditional Japanese poem that contains three lines of
five, seven, and five syllables respectively.
a. sonnet
b. ode
c. ottava
rima
d. haiku
e. None
of the above
What
is an 'epic poem'?
a. An
extended ballad containing quatrains
b. Free
verse
c. A
poem written in large print
d. A
poem in a tightly bound manuscript delivered in person
e. A
poem of considerable length, often dealing with heroic themes
Why
is it important to get the facts correct in non-fiction writing?
a. It
is less important than one might think; many non-fiction books are published
with factual errors.
b. It
is important because the credibility of the author and publisher are reflected
in the reliability of factual claims made in the book.
c. It
is less important than one might think; the work may contain a mixture of
verifiable facts and approximate facts or guesswork by the author.
d. It
is important because sales will be higher if there is more fictional content,
even in a non-fiction book.
Which
of the following is usually required when submitting non-fiction to a literary
agent or publishing editor?
a. The
entire work without a synopsis
b. An
outline, chapter synopsis, and the opening chapters
c. A
telephone call followed by the entire work
d. A formal
meeting in which you present the entire work
Which
of the following lists contains titles that are regarded as successful examples
of sophisticated Hollywood screenplays?
a. Jaws
IV, Plan B from Outer Space, Cheers
b. Chinatown,
American Beauty, Schindler's List
c. Mike's
World, The Bad Barber Shop, Back in 5 Minutes
d. Roseanne,
Cheers, Seinfeld, Deep Impact
What
is the greatest potential hazard of putting your creative writing online?
a. Someone
will plagiarize your words and potentially publish them as his or her own.
b. People
will cease to respect your creative work.
c. You
will not be able to get your work published in print format in the future.
d. You
will lose sales.
When
translated to the screen, a screenplay of 150 pages will generally run for how
long?
a. 2.5
hours
b. 1.5
hours
c. 2
hours
d. 3
hours
e. 1.75
hours
You
can publish online the non-fiction work of another author as long as that work
is out of copyright.
a. True
b. False
What
is 'assonance'?
a. A
stanza in which the lines follow ABCD format
b. Stupid
behaviour
c. The
repetition of vowel sounds
d. Three
or more consonants in a row
A
manuscript that has been edited and proofread, that includes all images, and
that is about to be published is said to be in the __________________ stage.
a. page
proof
b. editorial
mark-up
c. typesetting
d. camera-ready
copy
What
is 'elision'?
a. The
sliding of one consonant into another
b. The
repetition of certain vowels in a line of poetry
c. Stanzas
with exactly the same number of lines
d. The
omission of an unstressed vowel or syllable to maintain the poetry's metre
How
is a biography different from a memoir?
a. Biographies
are more detailed than memoirs and require names and dates to be provided.
b. A
memoir is fiction, while a biography is non-fiction.
c. A
memoir is written by the author about him or herself, while a biography is
written by an author about someone else.
d. A
biography is meant for personal use, while a memoir is meant to be published.
e. There
is no real difference between the two.
In
all types of writing, the term 'the hook' refers to _____________.
a. a
potentially dangerous prop used on stage
b. the
antagonist
c. the
main character in a play or screenplay
d. a
line or passage that captures the audience's attention (originally a term
borrowed from songwriting)