A narrative recounting someone else's life is called a ...

A narrative recounting someone else's life is called a ...

• A. Autobiography
• B. Diary
• C. Memoir
• D. Biography

Answer: (D)

The main idea being tested is recognizing different kinds of life-writing and who writes them. A biography is a narrative that tells the story of another person’s life, written by someone else who researches and compiles facts, events, and context. This is different from an autobiography, which is the person telling their own life story in their own words; a diary, which is a day-by-day record kept by the writer about their personal experiences; and a memoir, which tends to focus on particular memories or periods of the writer’s life, usually written in a personal, reflective way by the person themselves. So when the goal is to recount someone else’s life, the term that fits is biography. For example, a book about Nelson Mandela written by a historian fits as a biography.

The main idea being tested is recognizing different kinds of life-writing and who writes them. A biography is a narrative that tells the story of another person’s life, written by someone else who researches and compiles facts, events, and context. This is different from an autobiography, which is the person telling their own life story in their own words; a diary, which is a day-by-day record kept by the writer about their personal experiences; and a memoir, which tends to focus on particular memories or periods of the writer’s life, usually written in a personal, reflective way by the person themselves. So when the goal is to recount someone else’s life, the term that fits is biography. For example, a book about Nelson Mandela written by a historian fits as a biography.