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English Language: Middle School: Grades 6, 7 and 8 Quiz - Fiction, Non-Fiction, Biography and Autobiography 1 (Questions)

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Most writings are written in one of four different formats or categories. These formats include fiction, non-fiction, biography and autobiography.

A work of fiction is a piece of work that is not based on fact. It is purely times, places, people and situations that are created and made-up by the writer.

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Factual events can be included in a piece of fiction, for example, the writer can write a story that took place during the Civil War and include actual battles and place, but the characters and the storyline themselves will not be based on actual persons or events.

A work of non-fiction is a piece of work that is based on facts surrounding actual things, events, dates, places and/or people. However, non-fiction books also include educational books such as recipe books, music books, dictionaries, encyclopedias, how-to books and the like. An example of a non-fiction piece of work would be something like, “The Mormon Movement.”

A biography is a piece of work that tells about the factual history of a person who existed or who is currently alive. The facts being disclosed in a biography need to be researched and verified to call the piece of work a biography. If the facts cannot be verified and turn out to be false or made up, the piece of work then falls into the category of “fiction.”

An autobiography is when a person writes about the facts and history surrounding their own life. It is not written by a third person. In short, the author is writing facts and truth about themselves. A diary and/or a journal are considered autobiographies.

For each written piece of work given or referred to below, determine if the format or category is that of fiction, non-fiction, a biography or an autobiography.
1. Making a French braid is a lot easier than you think. It starts pretty much the same way you would make any traditional braid, i.e., dividing the hair into sections.
[ ] Fiction
[ ] Non-fiction
[ ] Biography
[ ] Autobiography
2. Most people are familiar with the stories of George Washington, including his time as a General during the American Revolution and his acts as the very first U.S. President. This book will take a new look at Washington before he became a well known hero. It will delve deeply into his past, a past that created the legend….
[ ] Fiction
[ ] Non-fiction
[ ] Biography
[ ] Autobiography
3. I have always loved living in the mountains. There’s just something about it that makes you feel a part of nature and nature’s cycle. I lived in the vast, bustling city for three years and it was the most horrific time of my life. I just don’t understand how people can live that way. So, after three years, I packed my few belongings and headed back to the green mountains, my home, my life and my packed filled future! But first, we need to go back to the beginning – the place I was born and the circumstances surrounding my birth.
[ ] Fiction
[ ] Non-fiction
[ ] Biography
[ ] Autobiography
4. Bella and Edward quietly walked in the forest, their eyes ever keen on seeking out potential prey for an evening’s quench of thirst.
[ ] Fiction
[ ] Non-fiction
[ ] Biography
[ ] Autobiography
5. Life is full of mysteries. Most mysteries are solved but there are those that remain forever unsolved. One of those unsolved mysteries is that of Roanoke and the colony that seemed to have virtually disappeared without a trace sometime around 1587. This author, for the past 20 years, has followed every lead, no matter how small, to finally put to rest the mystery behind the lost colony. Now you too can see the signs and messages the colonists themselves left behind and learn why those signs and messages went unnoticed, or ignored, by past investigations.
[ ] Fiction
[ ] Non-fiction
[ ] Biography
[ ] Autobiography
6. June 6, 1984 is a day that I will always remember! It was an exceptionally warm day to start off. I was already nursing a bad sunburn from the weekend before but, being the age I was, a whole 19 years of age, I put my bathing suit on and headed for the beach to meet Alex. He said he had something very special planned for the day. Little did I know when I headed out that morning that by the time I arrived back home that night, looking more like a cooked lobster than ever before, that I would soon be the new Mrs. Marcella! Yup! I was officially ENGAGED!!!
[ ] Fiction
[ ] Non-fiction
[ ] Biography
[ ] Autobiography
7. Being an avid bird watcher, he picked up a copy of the Encyclopedia of North American Birds by David Alderton. It is a very comprehensive guidebook to being able to identify the hundreds of different varieties of birds.
[ ] Fiction
[ ] Non-fiction
[ ] Biography
[ ] Autobiography
8. Like a hawk, he was able to see every object inside the tiny room. He knew its size, its placement and even its weight. He even saw what wasn’t there now but most likely was there earlier. Nodding his head to the far corner of the room, Watson followed his thought process. If Sherlock saw something that wasn’t there - he never questioned it.
[ ] Fiction
[ ] Non-fiction
[ ] Biography
[ ] Autobiography
9. I arrived at camp this morning - before it was even light out. It was also before anyone else had come along. Being the first to arrive, I located the cot in my assigned tent that would get me high enough above the ground and crawling critters and yet low enough from the top canvas to keep any dropping spiders from hitting me in the face at night. Nope, they could land on my up-bunk neighbor! My next goal was to learn the campsite area and begin putting into play all the wonderful tricks I had been planning since my camping trip last summer.
[ ] Fiction
[ ] Non-fiction
[ ] Biography
[ ] Autobiography
10. Henry VIII was the King of England and is, perhaps, best known for his many wives. In fact, he was married six different times. Among his wives were Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour.
[ ] Fiction
[ ] Non-fiction
[ ] Biography
[ ] Autobiography
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English Language: Middle School: Grades 6, 7 and 8 Quiz - Fiction, Non-Fiction, Biography and Autobiography 1 (Answers)
1. Making a French braid is a lot easier than you think. It starts pretty much the same way you would make any traditional braid, i.e., dividing the hair into sections.
[ ] Fiction
[x] Non-fiction
[ ] Biography
[ ] Autobiography
The writer in this sentence is referring to a “how to” instruction. In this case, how to make a French braid. “How to” books are not written in the format of a biography, an autobiography or a fiction. Rather, they are written in a non-fictional format. Answer (b) non-fiction is the correct format used here.
2. Most people are familiar with the stories of George Washington, including his time as a General during the American Revolution and his acts as the very first U.S. President. This book will take a new look at Washington before he became a well known hero. It will delve deeply into his past, a past that created the legend….
[ ] Fiction
[ ] Non-fiction
[x] Biography
[ ] Autobiography
In this brief description the reader quickly learns that they will be learning about the life of George Washington before he became famous. Most likely it will deal with his childhood and his rise to becoming a General. The story is being written by a third person. Knowing this, we know that we are looking at a biography of Washington. This makes Answer (c) biography the correct format used here.
3. I have always loved living in the mountains. There’s just something about it that makes you feel a part of nature and nature’s cycle. I lived in the vast, bustling city for three years and it was the most horrific time of my life. I just don’t understand how people can live that way. So, after three years, I packed my few belongings and headed back to the green mountains, my home, my life and my packed filled future! But first, we need to go back to the beginning – the place I was born and the circumstances surrounding my birth.
[ ] Fiction
[ ] Non-fiction
[ ] Biography
[x] Autobiography
At the very beginning of this piece the reader learns that it is being written in the first person “I.” The author is telling the reader about their own personal life and the experiences the author had. When the author is writing about their own personal experiences and history, the piece of work is an autobiography. Therefore, Answer (d) is the correct format that is being used in this written piece.
4. Bella and Edward quietly walked in the forest, their eyes ever keen on seeking out potential prey for an evening’s quench of thirst.
[x] Fiction
[ ] Non-fiction
[ ] Biography
[ ] Autobiography
Bella and Edward have become very popular characters in the Twilight series written by Stephanie Meyer. We know that this series is based on fiction. Therefore, Answer (a) is the correct format used here.
5. Life is full of mysteries. Most mysteries are solved but there are those that remain forever unsolved. One of those unsolved mysteries is that of Roanoke and the colony that seemed to have virtually disappeared without a trace sometime around 1587. This author, for the past 20 years, has followed every lead, no matter how small, to finally put to rest the mystery behind the lost colony. Now you too can see the signs and messages the colonists themselves left behind and learn why those signs and messages went unnoticed, or ignored, by past investigations.
[ ] Fiction
[ ] Non-fiction
[x] Biography
[ ] Autobiography
In this brief description the reader is told about the unsolved mystery of the lost colony of Roanoke. This piece is based on an actual, factual event. The author informs the reader that there is 20 years of research done to back up the details and facts provided in the book. We know that this is, therefore, not a work of fiction nor is it an instructional, how-to book. In addition, the book is not being written about the author’s personal life. Rather, it is a book about history, the history of Roanoke. This makes this book a biography and Answer (c) shows the correct format used.
6. June 6, 1984 is a day that I will always remember! It was an exceptionally warm day to start off. I was already nursing a bad sunburn from the weekend before but, being the age I was, a whole 19 years of age, I put my bathing suit on and headed for the beach to meet Alex. He said he had something very special planned for the day. Little did I know when I headed out that morning that by the time I arrived back home that night, looking more like a cooked lobster than ever before, that I would soon be the new Mrs. Marcella! Yup! I was officially ENGAGED!!!
[ ] Fiction
[ ] Non-fiction
[ ] Biography
[x] Autobiography
Diaries, journals and memoirs are all pieces of writing written in the first person or, in other words, are written by the author. In this written piece, the reader is learning about a certain date that is very special to the author. It is written in a diary format – evidenced by the use of the date. This makes this piece of work a sampling of an autobiography. Answer (d) is the correct format that is being shown here.
7. Being an avid bird watcher, he picked up a copy of the Encyclopedia of North American Birds by David Alderton. It is a very comprehensive guidebook to being able to identify the hundreds of different varieties of birds.
[ ] Fiction
[x] Non-fiction
[ ] Biography
[ ] Autobiography
The writer in this sentence is referring to an encyclopedia guidebook which is an informational and/or instructional kind of book. Informational and instructional guidebooks are not written in the format of a biography, an autobiography or a fiction. Rather, they are written in a non-fictional format. The piece of work referenced is, therefore, Answer (b) non-fiction.
8. Like a hawk, he was able to see every object inside the tiny room. He knew its size, its placement and even its weight. He even saw what wasn’t there now but most likely was there earlier. Nodding his head to the far corner of the room, Watson followed his thought process. If Sherlock saw something that wasn’t there - he never questioned it.
[x] Fiction
[ ] Non-fiction
[ ] Biography
[ ] Autobiography
We can quickly see that this is a snippet of a story that involves Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, an amazing series surrounding a fictitious private investigator and his assistant. Knowing this, it is easy to determine the format of this piece of work. Answer (a) fiction is the correct format used here.
9. I arrived at camp this morning - before it was even light out. It was also before anyone else had come along. Being the first to arrive, I located the cot in my assigned tent that would get me high enough above the ground and crawling critters and yet low enough from the top canvas to keep any dropping spiders from hitting me in the face at night. Nope, they could land on my up-bunk neighbor! My next goal was to learn the campsite area and begin putting into play all the wonderful tricks I had been planning since my camping trip last summer.
[ ] Fiction
[ ] Non-fiction
[ ] Biography
[x] Autobiography
In this piece it is clear that the author is writing about themselves. It is also clear that the storyline is being told from the author’s perspective. When a piece of work is written in the first person, from the first person’s perspective and about the events of that person’s life, it is a piece of autobiography. This makes Answer (d) the correct format being used here.
10. Henry VIII was the King of England and is, perhaps, best known for his many wives. In fact, he was married six different times. Among his wives were Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour.
[ ] Fiction
[ ] Non-fiction
[x] Biography
[ ] Autobiography
This brief description quickly alerts the reader that they will be learning about King Henry VIII and his wives. The piece is based on actual people and events. It is, therefore, not a work of fiction nor is it an instructional, how-to book. In addition, the book is not being written about the author’s personal life. Rather, it is a book about historical people, places and events. This makes this book a biography and Answer (c) shows the correct format used.