MFA Creative Writing and Literary Forms 2

Question 1

What is the 'Freytag's Pyramid' model used for in narrative analysis?

Accepted Answer

Mapping the five-stage arc of dramatic structure: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, denouement

Answer

Freytag's Pyramid is a dramatic structure model outlining exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution as the five stages of a narrative arc.

Question 2

What distinguishes a 'metaphor' from a 'simile' in literary writing?

Accepted Answer

A simile uses 'like' or 'as' to compare; a metaphor makes a direct comparison without those words

Answer

A simile explicitly signals comparison with 'like' or 'as' ('life is like a box of chocolates'), while a metaphor declares the comparison directly ('life is a journey').

Question 3

In the MFA workshop context, what is the primary purpose of a 'critique' or 'workshop session'?

Accepted Answer

To give the writer detailed feedback on craft while the writer listens without defending the work

Answer

In an MFA workshop, classmates critique the work to help the writer improve; the writer traditionally listens without interruption to absorb undefended feedback.

Question 4

What is 'ekphrasis' in literary writing?

Accepted Answer

A literary description of or response to a work of visual art

Answer

Ekphrasis is the literary practice of describing, interpreting, or responding to a visual artwork in words, as in Keats's 'Ode on a Grecian Urn.'

Question 5

What is a 'sestina' in poetry?

Accepted Answer

A 39-line poem with six stanzas of six lines each, using six repeating end-words in a set rotation

Answer

A sestina consists of six six-line stanzas plus a three-line envoi, with the same six end-words repeated in a rotating pattern across all stanzas.

MFA - Master of Fine Arts Practice Test

MFA - Master of Fine Arts Practice Test

MFA Creative Writing and Literary Forms 2