So You Want to Be a Cartoonist? - Test 4

B2 First · Multiple Choice Reading · Cambridge B2 First 4, Cambridge University Press

You are going to read a magazine article about being a cartoonist. For questions 1–6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.

People are always asking me how I became a cartoonist. This is understandable – cartooning is one of those jobs you dream about as a little kid, like being a race car driver. But most people eventually throw these childish daydreams away and consider more realistic professions, like becoming a tax lawyer or a manufacturer of auto parts. The idea that you can support yourself financially at all, let alone maintain an adequate lifestyle, by sketching the sort of doodles commonly found in the margins of high school notebooks is, when you think about it, silly. Yet some people do exactly that. As for me, after having a fairly typical cartoonist's childhood (obsessive love of comic strips, contributions to school publications, being known throughout school as 'the kid who draws'), I happened to study graphic design in college and then, after graduating, went around different companies with a collection of illustrations. I was lucky to find someone at a newspaper who told me they were looking for political cartoons on local issues. I drew up a few ideas and they bought them; in a few months, I was selling enough to support myself. You actually don't need much to become a cartoonist. You don't need a university degree, you don't need much money, you don't even really need to know how to draw. You just need your brain, your hand and something that makes a mark. But of course, if it really was that easy, there would be as many cartoonists as there are, say, teachers. The technical barriers to being a cartoonist are low, but it's a tough job nevertheless. No one should attempt to enter the profession unless they feel that doing anything else would be impossible. After all, it's so much easier to get a regular job that pays the rent and leaves at least a little time for the family, home repairs and hobbies. The more things you know how to do well, the more chance you have of making a living with your art. I've done political cartoons, comic strips and comic books. I've also been a writer, a caricaturist and occasionally a designer. I don't turn down anything – that's because you can learn an awful lot even from work you don't particularly want to do. It also doesn't hurt to be intelligent, well-read and curious about everything around you. But what about the business side of being a cartoonist? There was a time when a significant number of cartoonists could find regular jobs doing cartoons for several different newspapers and magazines. But those days, if they aren't gone, are rapidly passing. For almost everyone today, cartooning is an entrepreneurial activity – that means you're not just going to have to produce the work, you're going to have to sell it. The more comfortable you are with what that involves, the better you'll do. Time and time again, I've seen cartoonists with average creative abilities and excellent business skills do far better than those who were artistic geniuses but nothing else. It amazes me how often I meet people who have never sold a cartoon in their life and yet are terrified someone will steal their ideas. Some of these people are so worried that they refuse to let others even look at their work! Legally, all you need to do to protect your stuff is draw a little 'c' for 'copyright' somewhere, put a circle around the letter, then write your name and the date next to it. But let's face it – it's far more realistic that no one will be interested in your work. If, by some chance, someone steals a cartoon and it goes viral on the internet and everybody starts emailing it to their friends, it's not a disaster – it can be an extremely lucky break, publicity-wise!

It is not seen as a very practical career option.

People prefer doing jobs that have a higher status.

People are surprised at how little money cartoonists get.

Not enough children are being encouraged to become one.

In the first paragraph, what point does the writer make about being a cartoonist?

thinking about things too much

supporting yourself financially

sketching doodles in school notebooks

considering a different profession

What does 'that' in line 13 refer to?

professional cartoonists need time to develop their skills.

professional cartoonists need to have a passion for their work.

it is harder to become a professional cartoonist than it might seem.

many professional cartoonists complain of not having much free time.

The writer mentions teachers to make the point that

learn from other types of artists.

do thorough research for jobs.

work on different projects at the same time.

accept even unappealing jobs.

In the fourth paragraph, the writer suggests professional cartoonists

It can be distracting.

It is unavoidable.

It is difficult to do well.

It can be exhausting.

What does the writer say about dealing with the business side of being a cartoonist?

It is highly unlikely to happen.

People are more aware of it now.

The law does not prevent it happening.

The internet has made it easier to do.

What does the writer say about the theft of ideas from cartoonists?

So you want to be a cartoonist?

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