1. Nonfiction Unit Test
(Each question is worth two points, for a total of 100.)
Choose the best answer for each question:
1. Nonfiction writings are
a. true.
b. not true.
2. A biography is
a. an invented story about a person’s own life.
b. a true story written by a person about his or her own life.
c. a true story written by an author about someone else’s life.
d. an invented story about an invented character’s life.
3. An autobiography is
a. an invented story about a person’s own life.
b. a true story written by a person about his or her own life.
c. a true story written by an author about someone else’s life.
d. an invented story about an invented character’s life.
4. A personal narrative essay (like the ones we wrote) is
a. an invented story about an event that has special meaning.
b. an invented story that is meant only to entertain.
c. a retelling of a true event that is meant only to entertain.
d. a retelling of a true event that has special meaning.
5. A personal narrative essay includes everything EXCEPT
a. invented characters.
b. dialogue.
c. sensory details.
d. a clear purpose/meaning.
6. When writing about an actual event, it is best to
a. begin by giving away the ending, and then go back to the start to fill in the details.
b. begin in the middle, and then fill in details with flashbacks and flashes forward.
c. begin anywhere you like; the reader will put the details in order and figure it out.
d. begin at the beginning of the event and use chronological order for all the details.
7. Dialogue in a personal narrative is used to
a. fill up space.
b. add suspense.
c. allow a reader to know more about the characters.
d. a and b only.
e. b and c only.

2. 8. Sensory details in an essay include details of
a. sight, touch and sound.
b. taste and smell.
c. actions and consequences.
d. a and b only.
e. a and c only.
9. Sensory details in an essay allow a reader to
a. experience the event in his/her mind and imagine through the senses what is happening.
b. create a radio program in his/her mind so as to hear what is happening.
c. feel smarter than the characters in the essay.
d. sense what each character is thinking at any given moment.
10. Everything one reads in a newspaper or magazine is nonfiction and entirely factual.
a. True
b. False
11. Newspaper and magazine articles that focus on sharing information generally use
a. facts.
b. data.
c. statistics.
d. a, b and c
e. none of the above
12. Newspaper and magazine articles that appear on the opinion pages contain
a. only scientific data.
b. only statistics that can be proven.
c. a mix of fact and personal opinion.
d. a mix of fact and statistics.
13. A nonfiction essay can be
a. persuasive
b. informative
c. full of facts and data
d. all of the above
14. Informational texts include all of the following EXCEPT
a. brochures
b. bus schedules
c. memos
d. stories
e. menus
15. A memoir is like an autobiography, but it
a. tells about a person’s entire life
b. tells about the famous people someone knew
c. records facts and data about a made-up person
d. tells about one part of someone’s life, or about one specific issue the person had to deal with

3. Read the short article titled “School District Eliminates D Grade” (attached) and answer the following
questions:
16. The main idea of the entire article is that
a. a school district in California has decided to eliminate D’s.
b. a school district in New Jersey has decided to eliminate D’s.
c. more students should be earning A’s.
d. more students should be worried about preparing for college.
17. The questions in the first paragraph imply that
a. no one wants to hire someone who can only do D work.
b. plumbers, pilots and chefs were all D students.
c. a D is good enough in any profession, so why not in schools.
d. D students should not go to college.
18. The main idea of the fifth paragraph (beginning with “The no-D policy, which was . . .”) is that
a. the superintendent pushed hard for the change.
b. the parents pushed hard for the change.
c. the students pushed hard for the change.
d. the new policy has become the focus of lively conversations and Facebook messages.
19. Mount Olive will
a. be setting up extra classes during the school day for D or failing students.
b. be setting up tutoring with high-achieving students for D and failing students.
c. be offering night classes to make up credits for failed classes.
d. be doing a, b and c above to help D and failing students.
e. do nothing to help its D and failing students.
20. “Sunset Academy” will be a place
a. for students who earn detention.
b. for students to make up a failed class for a fee of $150.
c. for parents to learn how to tutor their children.
d. for students to retake tests for a grade above D.
21. The main idea of the last paragraph is that
a. students welcome the chance to work hard and achieve.
b. students wish they could quit school and get a job.
c. teachers want students to be able to earn D’s.
d. students sometimes purposefully choose to do just enough work to earn a D.
22. This article is filled
a. mostly with opinions about D grades.
b. mostly with facts about student achievement in New Jersey.
c. mostly with facts about the new D policy in Mount Olive, New Jersey.
d. mostly with opinions of students about failing high school classes.
Read the short article titled “Girls vs. Boys: The Perils of Competition” (attached) and answer the

4. following questions:
23. The main idea of this article is that
a. competing to win causes more boys than girls to feel good about themselves, and competing to
excel causes higher self-esteem in both boys and girls.
b. competing to win causes more girls than boys to feel good about themselves, and competing to
excel causes higher self-esteem in both boys and girls.
c. competing to win causes more boys than girls to feel good about themselves, and competing to
excel causes higher self-esteem in boys.
d. competing to win causes more boys than girls to feel good about themselves, and competing to
excel causes higher self-esteem in girls.
24. The second paragraph suggests that
a. girls don’t like to compete
b. boys don’t like to compete
c. more girls than boys compete to win, this does not hurt their mental health or social wellbeing,
and this is expected of girls.
d. more boys than girls compete to win, this does not hurt their mental health or social wellbeing,
and this is expected of boys.
25. The third paragraph suggests that
a. girls are less depressed if they compete to win.
b. girls are more likely to have friends if they compete to win.
c. girls who compete to win may have more depression and fewer friends.
d. girls who compete to win may have undesirable behavior.
26. The last paragraph concludes that both boys and girls
a. feel more depressed and lonely if they compete to excel.
b. feel awkward competing against each other.
c. feel that developing skills is more important than competing to win.
d. have higher self-esteem and less depression when they compete to excel.
27. This article is based on
a. opinions.
b. facts.
c. what teens think about competing.
d. statistics on depression in teens.
Read the short article titled “Spending Spree” (attached) and answer the following questions:

5. 28. What does the photo in the top right corner tell you about this magazine article?
a. The article is about gambling.
b. The article is about credit cards.
c. The article is about becoming a dealer in Vegas.
d. The article is about how to get as many credit cards as possible.
29. According to this article, which group is the newest target of credit card marketers?
a. adults
b. teens
c. the elderly
d. children
30. The main idea of the section subtitled “Pay or Play” is that
a. teens should be able to get credit cards.
b. teens don’t spend enough money to need credit cards.
c. teens should be able to create debt just as adults do.
d. teens get into debt because they feel pressured to buy things other teens have, but then they don’t
pay their credit card bills.
31. According to the section subtitled “Incentives for Saving,” financial literacy classes should
a. teach teens how to apply for credit cards.
b. teach teens how to save and how to open bank accounts.
c. help teens understand how to avoid peer pressure that might lead to debt.
d. make it illegal for credit card marketers to offer credit cards to teens.
32. The chart in the bottom right corner of the article is included to
a. show the prices of some popular teen purchases.
b. show how quickly late fees and interest add up on credit card purchases.
c. show how credit card accounts are unfair.
d. show that buying on credit is better than saving money.
Read the short article titled “The Privacy Debate” (attached) and answer the following questions:

6. 33. The title of this article tells the reader that
a. everybody agrees about the issue of personal privacy.
b. no one worries about personal privacy.
c. people must choose a side in a privacy debate.
d. there must be several sides to the debate about personal privacy.
34. The main idea in this article is that
a. people have too much privacy these days.
b. people don’t worry enough about computer databases.
c. people don’t worry enough about bank loans.
d. people benefit in many ways from open access to public records.
35. The writer of this article claims to be an authority on the subject because he is
a. an experienced judge.
b. a teacher.
c. an economist.
d. a politician.
36. Lines 53-66 are full of
a. data that shows how many people’s records are stolen each year.
b. statistics on credit card theft.
c. emotionally charged words about media stories that scare people into fearing a lack of privacy.
d. facts that make the author’s point entirely clear.
37. The author claims that the key benefit to open information is
a. the ease and speed with which people can get credit and buy things.
b. that the media can tell amazing stories.
c. that bank loans become harder to get.
d. that people can buy whatever they want.
38. The author quotes Federal Trade Commission Chairman Tim Muris and economist Walter Kitchenman
in order to
a. show that he knows important people.
b. show the other side of the argument.
c. strengthen his side of the debate on privacy.
d. weaken the opposing side of the debate on privacy.
39. The author gives numerous reasons besides our economic system for continuing to make personal
information available, including all of the following EXCEPT
a. making it possible to find absent spouses and enforce child support payments.
b. making it possible to search DNA databases.
c. making it possible to screen day care workers and bus drivers.
d. making it possible to do background checks on bank workers.
40. This author is very strongly on the side of

7. a. allowing access to personal information.
b. keeping personal information private.
41. This author relies more on
a. his own ideas than on facts.
b. facts than on his own ideas.
Read four documents (listed below and attached); then, answer the questions.
• the news article from The Dallas Times Herald titled “President Dead”
• the diary entry by Lady Bird Johnson
• the U.S. News Special Report by Kenneth T. Walsh
• look at the cartoon of the Abraham Lincoln Memorial
42. The news article from The Dallas Times Herald has a title that tells what happened; the rest of the article
does what?
a. It explains the history of Kennedy’s presidency.
b. It explains how the assassin was able to shoot the president.
c. It explains how horrified leaders of other nations were to hear the news.
d. It gives a detailed account of the facts of the event.
43. This news article (from The Dallas Times Herald) is based entirely on
a. opinion.
b. fact.
44. The diary entry by Lady Bird Johnson adds what to the facts of the event as told in the newspaper
article?
a. Lots of even more specific facts.
b. Her shock and confusion as the events took place.
c. Her emotions when she saw Jackie, the president’s wife, and went to embrace her.
d. Her surprise when her husband was greeted as “Mr. President” once they all knew that Kennedy
was dead.
e. All of the above.
45. A diary entry is a very useful piece of historical information because it gives readers
a. a sense of being at the scene at the time an event occurred.
b. the emotions of the writer and many vivid sensory details of the event.
c. a more personal connection to an event.
d. All of the above.
e. None of the above.
46. In the U.S. News Special Report, readers learn that Kennedy’s assassination is linked with 9/11 in what
way?

8. a. They both occurred on the same date, September 11.
b. After 9/11, large numbers of Americans showed up at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum.
c. The Cuban Missile Crisis and 9/11 happened in the same month.
d. President McKinley was also assassinated in September.
47. According to the Special Report, Kennedy continues to be famous because he
a. is symbolic of a time when America felt optimistic.
b. caused Americans to believe they could make a difference.
c. was president before people grew bitter about the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal.
d. All of the above.
e. None of the above.
48. The author of the Special Report, Kenneth T. Walsh, is clearly
a. not impressed by the legacy of John F. Kennedy.
b. very impressed by the legacy of John F. Kennedy.
c. more interested in the events of 9/11 than in John F. Kennedy.
d. also very good at cartoon drawings.
49. How does the cartoon of Lincoln add to your understanding of Kennedy’s loss?
a. It shows that no one cared very much.
b. It shows that people remembered how Lincoln was also assassinated.
c. It shows that Lincoln was horrified by the loss of Kennedy.
d. It shows symbolically how the country was feeling about the loss of Kennedy.
50. Taken together, these four documents (the news article, the diary entry, the Special Report, and the
cartoon) clearly show readers that
a. Kennedy was a fine president who had a great legislative record.
b. Kennedy is still remembered by Americans who seek a strong leader who can inspire them.
c. Kennedy has been forgotten by most Americans.
d. Kennedy was an ineffective president.