Answers of Creative Writing Test - Non-fiction (UK Version) 2016

1. What is 'iambic pentameter'?

Answers: • A traditional form of rising meter consisting of lines of five iambic feet (i.e., ten syllables total)

2. What is the greatest potential hazard of putting your creative writing online?

Answers: • Someone will plagiarize your words and potentially publish them as his or her own.

3. A fiction writer cannot successfully write non-fiction as well.

Answers: • False

4. Regarding the inclusion of creative expression in non-fiction writing, which of the following statements is most true?

Answers: • 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.

5. Which of the following is the recommended length for a screenplay when submitting to production companies?

Answers: • 80-125 pages

6. In a play script, what does the abbreviation 'V.O.' stand for?

Answers: • Voice Over (an off-stage voice that narrates the on-stage action)

7. In the world of professional playwriting, which of the following usually occurs before a play is mounted in a full production?

Answers: • It goes through a development stage that includes professional 'readings'.

8. In terms of online creative writing courses, which of the following statements is most reliable?

Answers: • b and c

9. 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?

Answers: • from 2 years to 10 years

10. What is an 'analogy'?

Answers: • A comparison of two similar ideas or objects to make a point about the first one; a kind of comparative example

11. In play or screenplay writing, what does the term 'slug line' refer to?

Answers: • The scene heading

12. What is "metonymy"?

Answers: • A closely related word that is substituted for another word, object or idea

13. What is the primary purpose for writing a journal?

Answers: • The writer's own private use

14. What is expressive writing (as opposed to expository or persuasive writing)?

Answers: • 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

15. The title page of a screenplay should contain which of the following?

Answers: • The title of the work and the author's name and contact information

16. What is 'personification'?

Answers: • The endowment of inanimate objects or concepts with living qualities

17. Which of the following best defines 'journal writing'?

Answers: • A written account of experiences, ideas or reflections kept regularly and usually for private use

18. What is a 'heroic couplet'?

Answers: • A pair of rhymed lines in iambic pentameter

19. The greatest benefit of publishing online is _____________; the greatest drawback is _____________.

Answers: • access to greater readership; not having a print presence (e.g., in bookstores)

20. In all types of writing, the term 'the hook' refers to _____________.

Answers: • a line or passage that captures the audience's attention (originally a term borrowed from songwriting)

21. Is the following statement true or false?

Compared to writing plays, screenplays, and other forms of non-fiction, writing a journal is a superior form of artistic expression.

Answers: • False

22. What is a 'rhetorical question'?

Answers: • A question that doesn't require an answer

23. In newspaper terminology (both print and online), what is a 'masthead' or 'flag'?

Answers: • A section usually printed on the editorial page that lists the publication's name and address, and the names of the owners, editors, writers, staff And so on.

24. When an author writes a journal or diary and publishes it as a memoir, which of the following is potentially crucial to the credibility of the book?

Answers: • That it be clear from reading what is verifiable fact and what is potentially the author's unreliable memory (i.e., that the line between reality and fantasy be clear)

25. How is the copyright of a fiction or non-fiction work typically divided up?

Answers: • Most copyright licenses or contracts last for seventy years after the author's death.

26. What is 'rhetoric'?

Answers: • Questions and statements mingled together

27. In academic non-fiction, the ____________________ at the end of the book helps readers continue their study of the subject by directing them to similar works.

Answers: • bibliography and works cited pages

28. A college business paper would typically be considered an example of _______________ .

Answers: • non-fiction

29. What does 'high concept' mean in screenplay writing?

Answers: • A simple premise that describes a proposed film in just a few sentences, often by juxtaposing two known ideas.

30. 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.

Answers: • True

31. 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.

Answers: • camera-ready copy

32. In screenplay terminology, the abbreviations 'INT.' and 'EXT.' mean ____________ and ___________ respectively.

Answers: • interior scene setting, external scene setting

33. Among writing professionals, which of the following are well-known programs for creating and editing screenplays?

Answers: • None of the above

34. Is the following statement true or false?

Editors will take a professional blog seriously as an example of someone's writing skills, as long as the blog is regularly updated, clear and relevant.

Answers: • True

35. What is 'bias'?

Answers: • When an author prejudices the reader in favour of one side of a subject by not covering the topic fairly

36. 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?

Answers: • Web 2.0

37. A/an ___________ is a short, traditional Japanese poem that contains three lines of five, seven, and five syllables respectively.

Answers: • haiku

38. In playwriting and theatre terminology, the term ;ad lib' (from the Latin ad libitum, meaning in accordance with desire) refers to _________________.

Answers: • dialogue or action that the actors make up, often on the spur of the moment

39. In screenwriting, what does the abbreviation 'O.C.' stand for?

Answers: • Off Camera

40. What does it mean to 'green-light' a project?

Answers: • To give the go-ahead to start a production

41. What is an 'epic poem'?

Answers: • A poem of considerable length, often dealing with heroic themes

42. Which of the following lists contains the names of people who are commonly regarded as great American playwrights?

Answers: • Eugene O'Neill, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller

43. What is 'objective truth' as opposed to 'subjective truth'?

Answers: • Objective truth is independently verifiable whereas subjective truth is dependent on a limited point of view.

44. Which of the following best describes creative non-fiction?

Answers: • None of the above

45. What is 'elision'?

Answers: • The omission of an unstressed vowel or syllable to maintain the poetry's metre

46. Creating an impressive website on which to post creative work is more important than the quality of the creative work itself.

Answers: • False

47. Which of the following is usually required when submitting non-fiction to a literary agent or publishing editor?

Answers: • An outline, chapter synopsis, and the opening chapters

48. How is a biography different from a memoir?

Answers: • A memoir is written by the author about him or herself, while a biography is written by an author about someone else.

49. What is 'assonance'?

Answers: • The repetition of vowel sounds

50. When staging a play, what does the abbreviation 'SPFX' stand for?

Answers: • Special Effects

51. What does it mean if a play script is said to be 'unsolicited'?

Answers: • It has been sent without a specific request, usually from the playwright to the production company.

52. Which of the following is NOT a movie genre?

Answers: • Cartoon

53. 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?

Answers: • 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).

54. What does it mean if a screenplay is 'optioned' by a television or film production company?

Answers: • The exclusive right to purchase the screenplay at some time in the future has been bought.

55. 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.

Answers: • True

56. Which of the following lists contains titles that are regarded as successful examples of sophisticated Hollywood screenplays?

Answers: • Chinatown, American Beauty, Schindler's List

57. You can publish online the non-fiction work of another author as long as that work is out of copyright.

Answers: • False

58. In screenplay writing, the abbreviation 'b.g.' stands for ____________ .

Answers: • background

59. Which of the following considerations is most important when keeping a personal journal?

Answers: • That you write regularly, regardless of how you choose to express your thoughts and feelings

60. The phrase 'The tree's dark fingers reached out for him' demonstrates the use of which of the following literary devices?

Answers: • Metaphor

61. What is a 'pun'?

Answers: • A so-called 'play on words', or the comic use of a single word with two or more meanings

62. In theatre terminology, a 'curtain call' is the moment when ______________ .

Answers: • the cast of the play take a bow on stage

63. Why is it important to get the facts correct in non-fiction writing?

Answers: • It is important because the credibility of the author and publisher are reflected in the reliability of factual claims made in the book.

64. In terms of theatre staff, who is the 'Artistic Director'?

Answers: • A theater company's chief artistic officer, usually the last person who decides on a script before green-lighting production

65. What is 'falling metre'?

Answers: • Metrical feet in a line that move from stressed to unstressed syllables

66. When translated to the screen, a screenplay of 150 pages will generally run for how long?

Answers: • 2.5 hours

67. What is 'free verse'?

Answers: • More modern poetry with no prescribed pattern or structure

68. When writing an authentic journal for private use or publication, which of the following is a good idea?

Answers: • Developing a specific and genuine narrative voice, whether the work will be published or not

69. What is an 'indie' production company?

Answers: • A production company that is independent of major studio financing

70. In theatre terminology, what does 'stage left' mean?

Answers: • The left side of the stage from the actor's point of view

71. Which of the following is crucial for maintaining a journal with some regularity?

Answers: • Continuous motivation over a long period of time

72. In any creative endeavour, what is meant by the term 'development hell'?

Answers: • The end of a long development process at which point the decision is made NOT to proceed to production