MFA Creative Writing and Literary Forms

Question 1

In creative writing, what is 'show, don't tell'?

Accepted Answer

Presenting concrete sensory details and action rather than abstract statements about emotions

Answer

'Show, don't tell' means conveying emotion and character through specific actions, details, and sensory experience rather than stating feelings directly.

Question 2

What is the 'inciting incident' in story structure?

Accepted Answer

The event that disrupts the protagonist's ordinary world and sets the main conflict in motion

Answer

The inciting incident is the triggering event that upsets the protagonist's status quo and launches the central conflict of the narrative.

Question 3

What is 'free verse' poetry?

Accepted Answer

Poetry written without a fixed meter or rhyme scheme

Answer

Free verse is poetry that does not follow a regular metrical pattern or rhyme scheme, relying instead on natural speech rhythms, imagery, and line breaks.

Question 4

In fiction writing, what is an 'unreliable narrator'?

Accepted Answer

A narrator whose credibility is compromised by limited knowledge, bias, or deliberate deception

Answer

An unreliable narrator is a character-narrator whose account cannot be fully trusted due to psychological instability, bias, naivety, or intentional dishonesty.

Question 5

What is 'dramatic irony' in literary writing?

Accepted Answer

When the audience knows information that a character in the story does not

Answer

Dramatic irony occurs when the audience possesses knowledge about the situation that at least one character lacks, creating tension or dark comedy.

MFA - Master of Fine Arts Practice Test

MFA - Master of Fine Arts Practice Test

MFA Creative Writing and Literary Forms