“Genre in the Wild” Questions

Directions: Answer the questions below. You can either copy and paste the answer directly from
the article (be sure to cite Lisa Bickmore if you do), or you can respond in your own words.

1. Define genre.
The term genre means kind, sort or style, and is often applied to kinds of art and media,
for instance novels, films , television shows and so on.

2. Lisa Bickmore says, “To sum up: sometimes when you write, the genre is a choice that’s
already made for you.” When those genre choices are made for you (for example, when
you have write an essay), do you find those choices helpful, or do you prefer more
freedom in your writing? Provide an example to support your point.

I prefer more freedom in my writing because for me it is a lot easier to write something
about what I like and I am interested in than someone picking out for me. For example, a
research paper about a social issue we did, made me very happy that I was able to
choose what I wanted to talk about. I feel more comfortable and motivated

3. What type of writing genres are generally found in a high school’s “rhetorical
ecosystem”? Provide at least three (3) examples.

Exams, assignments and emails.

4. How can you use genres to help you write without turning into a robot? Be specific.

Genres can help writers get things done, learn more about sensitive topics and make you
adapt to any situation and be more confident whenever you write.