DIAGNOSTIC EXAMINATION IN CREATIVE NON-FICTION
1. Nonfiction means ______________
A. True B. False C. Fake D. Humorous
2. A biography describes _______________
A. the individual's hobbies and career of an individual. B. the childhood experiences, family, and career of an individual.
C. the mistakes one has made in life. D. the birth of an individual's children.
3. Which of the following summaries could describe an autobiography?
A. A famous writer's life told by another author. B. A famous basketball player's wife sharing memories of her late husband.
C. Michael Jackson's mother describing his childhood. D. Helen Keller writing about her difficulties of being blind all her life
4. To support a main idea, writers often use __________________
A. persuasion to prove their point. B. facts and details to help prove their point.
C. opinions and details to help prove their point. D. summaries of details to help prove their point
5. Which of the following is NOT a question you should ask to find the main idea?
A. What is the author's purpose? B. What point is the author trying to make?
C. What is the selection mainly about? D. When did the author write the selection?
6. To change a word's meaning, you can add a prefix _______________.
A. to the middle of the word. C. to the beginning of the word.
B. to the end of the word. D. after the word.
7. Nonfiction has two major types that function to "tell a story" or "to give information.
A. Narrative and informative C. Narrative and Realistic
B. Expository and Narrative D. Expository and Persuasive
8. Which of the following kinds of selections do NOT tell a story?
A. Narrative C. Persuasive
B. Descriptive D. Fiction
9. The primary purpose of an expository piece is to do which of the following?
A. to persuade you to change your mind. C. to help reader to understand main idea
B. to give out factual information. D. to entertain the reader
10. The primary purpose of a persuasive piece is ______________________
A. to change an opinion C. to entertain the reader
B. to give information D. to give directions
11. Who is the narrator of an autobiography?
A. another author C. a relative
B. unknown admirer D. the author
12. When an author tries to change your opinion about something, then the author's purpose is to _______
A. inform C. persuade
B. entertain D. express
13. When the author gives you factual information, the author's purpose is to ____________.
A. inform C. persuade
B. entertain D. express
14. The makes a story humorous and funny because he wants to __________________.
A. inform C. persuade
B. entertain D. express
15. Fact - Opinion - Mrs. Barnes is married to handsome man.
A. Fact C. Neither
B. Opinion D. Both Fact and Opinion
16. Fact - Opinion - Mrs. Smith was born on July 4, 1935.
A. Fact C. Neither Fact or Opinion
B. Opinion D. Both Fact & Opinion
17. How can you prove that the following fact is true? Mrs. Smith's address is 636 Wilson Road.
A. Ask someone if she live there C. Telephone her at home
B. Visit Mrs. Smith at 636 Wilson Road D. Hire a private investigator to follow Mrs. Smith
18. Which of the following text structures are most likely to be found in a newspaper?
A. Chapter Titles C. Index
B. Glossary D. Headings
19. Which text structure is most likely to be found in a textbook?
A. Table of Contents C. Bold print
B. Subheadings D. All of the above
20. Fact - Opinion - Between 1945 and 1960 the number of cars in the U.S. increased by 133 percent.
A. Fact C. Neither Fact or Opinion
B. Opinion D. Both Fact & Opinion
21. Making journal entries at a specific time of day can help a writer discipline him or herself to maintain a diary or journal with some regularity.
a. True b. False
22. The Internet is a good source of famous works of literature and non-fiction, which are often available free in fully downloadable or full-text
online formats.
a. True b. False
23. When writing an authentic journal for private use or publication, which of the following is a good idea?
a. Trying to prompt your audience or reader into liking the narrative voice
b. Imitating a known writer as much as possible
c. Developing a specific and genuine narrative voice, whether the work will be published or not
d. Varying the narrative voice from section to section depending on whether you feel the work can be published or not
24. 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.
