Test Bank Chapter 10: Reception Analysis
MATCHING
1. polysemy g. many meanings
2. polyvalence j. many values
3. encoding b. the construction of a meaningful message
4. decoding i. deciphering the meaning of a message
5. code d. set of rules that govern the use of visual and linguistic signs
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which traditional view of audiences suggests that media messages are filtered through opinion
leaders?
2. Which traditional view of audiences was the first to study media effects longitudinally (i.e., over long
periods of time)?
a. hypodermic needle
d. uses and gratifications
4. According to Stuart Hall, what is the most common mode of decoding?
a. generic
5. According to Stuart Hall, ‘perfectly transparent communication’ is related to which mode of
decoding?
a. generic
6. According to John Fiske, which theory accounts for the popularity of some media texts?
7. According to Celeste Condit, which theory best accounts for how audiences can agree on the
meaning of a text, but judge the social worth of that meaning differently?
8. According to Celeste Condit, which of the following is NOT a limitation of polysemy?
d. the historical occasion
9. Which concept best accounts for polysemy that is intentionally created by a media producer?
d. subliminal messages
11. Which concept best accounts for polysemy that is promoted by the critic?
12. Which theory suggests that similar audiences tend to interpret texts in similar ways?
ESSAY QUESTIONS
1. Identify and explain the four traditional theories of media audiences.
2. Define the concept of polysemy. Identify and explain the four factors that, according to Celeste