Chapter 03 Multiple Choice Self-Quiz

. At the prewriting stage, the reporters should

identify a central point and have a good kicker in mind.

identify a central point and prepare a brief outline.

prepare a brief outline and select the quotations to use.

have the story completely drafted in their head.

. The central point of a news story is

a justification for running the story on the front page or the beginning of a news broadcast.

the identity of the most important figure of the story.

to get readers to read the rest of the newspaper or viewers to watch the rest of the news broadcast.

a one- or two-sentence summary of what the story is about and why it is newsworthy.

. The reason for constructing a brief outline for a news story is to

help decide where the various pieces of information the reporter has collected belong in the story.

enable the reporter to guess how long the finished story will be.

enable the layout editor to guess how long the finished story will be.

let the managing editor know that the reporter has a story in progress.

. Research has shown that 75 percent of readers are able to understand sentences that average

20 words in length.

40 words in length.

60 words in length.

80 words in length.

. Reporters strive to

eliminate all long sentences from their writing.

combine short and long sentences in a manner that would be pleasing if read aloud.

keep all sentences to 10 words or fewer.

keep all sentences to 15 words or more.

. The problem with phrases like "dead body" and "unexpected surprise" is that they are

short.

clichés.

redundant.

too descriptive.

. Because newspapers use small type and narrow columns, reporters strive to write

without paragraph breaks.

stories with no more than three paragraphs.

paragraphs that are no more than one sentence in length.

short paragraphs.

. For journalists, being objective means that the reporter

remains completely emotionless about all aspects of the story.

incorporates an equal number of quotations from Republicans and Democrats.

makes clear his or her opinion about the events covered.

is not an advocate for a point of view or a participant in the events covered.

. Good reporters strive to

let readers draw their own conclusions about the story.

let readers know what their opinions are about the story.

tell readers what they should think about the story.

tell readers what public officials want them to think about the story.

. "Ageism" is the practice of

stereotyping the elderly as rich, greedy and unconcerned about the problems of younger people.

portraying older people as more experienced and, therefore, more knowledgeable than others.

stereotyping the elderly as lonely, inactive, unproductive, poor, passive, weak and sick.

portraying older people as being able to perform any task younger people can perform.

. Including in news stories descriptions of the appearance and dress of women but not doing so for men is an example of

sexism.

good news judgment.

attention to detail.

carelessness.

. The race or ethnicity of people involved in news stories should be included

in all instances because it helps readers visualize the people.

only when it is clearly relevant to the story.

whenever the person asks that it be mentioned.

whenever the person involved is a member of a minority group.

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