How to Write a Memoir by William Zinsser Quiz

You are about to take the Section 1 Quiz for the

Guidebook unit, Memoir.

• Based on the readings from . . .

  • "How to Write a Memoir" by William Zinsser

• Be sure to read each question carefully before answering.

• Just read

  This

• the

  is

• opening

  not a

• directions.

  test question.

Think about the text “How to Write a Memoir” by William Zinsser to answer questions 1 and 2.

Read the excerpt and answer the questions that follow.

     "One of the saddest sentences I know is 'I wish I had asked my mother about that.' Or my father. Or my grandmother. Or my grandfather. As every parent knows, our children are not as fascinated by our fascinating lives as we are. Only when they have children of their own—and feel the first twinges of their own advancing age—do they suddenly want to know more about their family heritage and all its accretions of anecdote and lore. 'What exactly were those stories my dad used to tell about coming to America?' 'Where exactly was that farm in the Midwest where my mother grew up?'"

"How to Write a Memoir" by William Zinsser

• The writer realizes that he is growing older and wants to pass family histories on to his children.

• The writer wants to remember specific details about his childhood, including information about where he lived and stories his parents told.

• The person is beginning to forget information about his parents and grandparents, and wants to write down the little information he remembers.

• The person knows that children are extremely interested in the stories their parents have to share.

Which quotation from the text best supports your answer to the previous question about the main reason a person writes a memoir?

• One of the saddest sentences I know is 'I wish I had asked my mother about that.' Or my father. Or my grandmother.

• As every parent knows, our children are not as fascinated by our fascinating lives as we are.

• Only when they have children of their own—and feel the first twinges of their own advancing age—do they suddenly want to know more about their family heritage and all its accretions of anecdote and lore.

• What exactly were those stories my dad used to tell about coming to America?

Read the excerpt and answer the questions that follow.

     “Writers are the custodians of memory, and that’s what you must become if you want to leave some kind of record of your life [. . .]. Whatever it is, it’s an important kind of writing. Too often memories die with their owner, and too often time surprises us by running out.”

_{"How to Write a Memoir" by William Zinsser}

Which statement below best states Zinsser's claim?

• Writing shows the truth, especially because we write down thoughts we are too afraid to say aloud.

• Writing does not effectively provide future generations with information about their ancestors.

• Writing preserves our memories and allows us to share them after we are no longer here to tell our stories.

• Writing down memories is less effective than verbally sharing our stories with loved ones.

^{Type the quotation that best supports your answer to the previous question about Zinsser's claim.}

• "Writers are the custodians of memory, and that's what you must become if you want to leave some kind of record of your [...].

• Whatever it is, it’s an important kind of writing.

• Too often memories die with their owner,

• and too often time surprises us by running out

Think about Zinsser's three most important pieces of advice for memoir writing. Match the examples to Zinsser's advice.

Read the excerpt from "How to Write a Memoir" by William Zinsser and answer the question that follows: "As I told him my stories he looked like an excited child waiting to open his birthday present. The sadness in his eyes also disappeared; he looked jubilant and giddy. When he saw his family's property on my video I expected to see him cry, and he did, but they were tears of joy. He seemed so proud, and I asked him, 'Daddy, what are you looking at with such pride? Is it your house?' He said, 'No, it's you! You have become my eyes and ears and legs. Thank you for taking this trip. It makes me feel as if I've gone there myself.'" How does Zinsser use this paragraph to refine his advice?

• Zinsser uses the experience of a student to demonstrate what can go wrong by not thinking small.

• Zinsser uses the experience of a student to explain that the memoir process may take unexpected turns.

• Zinsser uses the experience of a student as an example of regretting not starting a memoir earlier.

• Zinsser uses the experience of a student to further illustrate a memoir's personal point of view.

Which of the following best describes the primary structure of "How to Write a Memoir"?

• The author uses the experiences of famous authors to introduce the process of writing a memoir.

• The author combines his advice on how to write a memoir with personal experiences and anecdotes.

• The author uses memories of former students to explain his advice on how to write a memoir.

• The author uses a variety of literary texts to illustrate how a memoir is written.

Which quotation from the text best supports the answer to the previous question?

• "When you write your own family history, don’t try to be a ‘writer.’ It now occurs to me that my father, who didn’t try to be a writer, was a more natural writer than I am . . ."

• ". . . books like Russell Baker’s Growing Up or V.S. Pritchett’s A Cab at the Door or Jill Ker Conway’s The Road from Coorain . . ."

• "Because of that anxiety, many memoirs linger for years half written, or never get written at all."

• "One of my students in a memoir class was a woman who wanted to write about the house in Michigan where she grew up."

What is a Memoir?

• an account of a person's life written by that person.
• An account of a memorable event in a person's life
• an account of someone's life written by someone else.
• a spoken or written account of connected events; a story.