Page 1
1.
Some ancient philosophers thought that
A)
written communication was superior to oral communication.
B)
oral communication was superior to written communication.
C)
there was no difference between oral and written communication.
D)
written communication would lead to a postmodern culture.
2.
Which of the following was a direct result of the printing press?
A)
The rise of the middle class
B)
The concept of nationalism
C)
A decline in the power of religious authority
D)
All options are correct.
3.
For the first time in mass media history, the speed of communication surpassed the
speed of transportation and media messages were instantaneous (not reliant on
stagecoaches, ships, or the pony express) with the development of the
A)
radio.
B)
Internet.
C)
movable press.
D)
telegraph.
4.
The electronic era really took off with the arrival of what?
A)
Radio
B)
Television
C)
The Internet
D)
The telegraph
5.
Which of the following is not a characteristic of the digital turn?
A)
Speed
B)
The blurring of boundaries between different media
C)
Spread of literacy
D)
Portability of devices
6.
What is one main meaning of the term media convergence?
A)
The technological merging of content across different media channels, such as
songs being available on cell phones
B)
The appropriation of American products by foreign advertisers
C)
The diversification of various media holdings—such as cable connections, phone
services, television transmissions, and Internet access—into separate companies
D)
All options are correct.
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7.
Each media industry goes through three stages in its evolution. Which of the following
is not one of them?
A)
Mass medium stage
B)
Novelty or development stage
C)
Entrepreneurial stage
D)
Consumer stage
8.
The linear communication model can be criticized on the grounds that
A)
it assumes that culture is hierarchical.
B)
it asserts that audiences create their own meanings from messages sent.
C)
it does not usually move messages smoothly from a sender at point A to a receiver
at point Z.
D)
it conforms too closely to the EPS model.
9.
Which of the following statements does not represent part of the traditional mass culture
critique aimed against popular (low) culture?
A)
Popular culture inhibits political discourse and social change.
B)
Popular culture transforms classic works into simplistic forms.
C)
Popular culture prevents people from appreciating fine art.
D)
Popular culture undermines the elite and offers some potential for a multicultural
democracy.
10.
Which of the following is not a value that the textbook associates with the modern era?
A)
Working efficiently
B)
Believing in a rational order
C)
Embracing and celebrating paradox
D)
Celebrating the individual
11.
Which of the following does the textbook associate with postmodern era culture?
A)
Jessica Jones
B)
The New York Times
C)
The Gutenberg Bible
D)
No option is correct.
12.
Postmodern cultural values include which of the following?
A)
Working efficiently
B)
Diversifying and recycling culture
C)
Embracing technology
D)
Rejecting tradition
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13.
A manuscript culture existed between 1000 BCE and the mid–fifteenth century and
manuscripts were commissioned by members of the ruling classes.
A)
True
B)
False
14.
The printing press fostered the rise of tribal storytellers.
A)
True
B)
False
15.
Gutenberg played an active role in the transition from oral to written culture.
A)
True
B)
False
16.
With the coming of the printing press, the printed newspaper became the first
mass-marketed product in history.
A)
True
B)
False
17.
The computer was the first electronic innovation.
A)
True
B)
False
18.
Media convergence is considered a characteristic of the digital turn.
A)
True
B)
False
19.
According to the textbook, media convergence has two very different meanings.
A)
True
B)
False
20.
Researchers do not all agree on whether watching violent TV shows makes viewers
more likely to commit violent acts than not watching such TV shows.
A)
True
B)
False
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21.
The senders of messages often have very little control over how their messages will be
decoded.
A)
True
B)
False
22.
According to the textbook, as cultural forms, the media help us make sense of daily life
and articulate our values.
A)
True
B)
False
23.
The cultural model recognizes that individuals assign diverse meanings to messages
depending on personal characteristics, such as gender, age, educational level, ethnicity,
occupation, and religious beliefs.
A)
True
B)
False
24.
The goal of social scientific media research is to develop testable hypotheses, gather
relevant data, and determine whether the data verify the hypotheses.
A)
True
B)
False
25.
High culture is the same as popular culture.
A)
True
B)
False
26.
The “culture as map” metaphor distinguishes between high culture and low culture.
A)
True
B)
False
27.
The Progressive Era is another name for the postmodern period.
A)
True
B)
False
28.
Postmodern cultural values include working efficiently and believing in a rational order.
A)
True
B)
False
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29.
Content analysis is a tool of the social scientific approach.
A)
True
B)
False
30.
In the textbook’s comparison of two types of research about cancer news coverage, the
social scientific approach focused on interpretation of the meanings of the media stories.
A)
True
B)
False
31.
The critical process consists of describing, analyzing, interpreting, evaluating, and
engaging with mass media.
A)
True
B)
False
32.
Those who consult research to acquire media literacy should concentrate on either
cultural studies or social scientific studies.
A)
True
B)
False
33.
The five major phases in communication history include the ______, written, print,
electronic, and digital periods.
34.
The electronic era really took off in the 1950s and 1960s, with the arrival of ______.
35.
One form of ______ is the technological merging of content across different media
channels.
36.
The stages in the development of most new mass communication industries are called
the ______ stage, the entrepreneurial stage, and the mass medium stage.
37.
The ______ model seeks to develop and test theories about how the media affect
individuals and society in measurable ways.
38.
Explain why the printing press is considered one of the most important developments in
mass media history.
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39.
Explain media convergence. Be sure to address the two main definitions discussed in the
textbook.
40.
Explain the three stages in the development of a new mass medium.
41.
Using your own familiar or favorite example from popular media (a hip–hop or
alternative rock song, a TV show, a magazine), explain how it works as culture.
42.
Compare and contrast the linear model and the cultural model approaches of
understanding media literacy.
43.
Name three ways in which high culture differs from low (or popular) culture.
44.
Explain why it is more accurate to think of culture as a map rather than a ladder or
hierarchy.
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Answer Key
1.
B
2.
D
3.
D
4.
B
5.
C
6.
A
7.
D
8.
C
9.
D
10.
C
11.
A
12.
C
13.
A
14.
B
15.
B
16.
B
17.
B
18.
A
19.
A
20.
A
21.
A
22.
A
23.
A
24.
A
25.
B
26.
B
27.
B
28.
B
29.
A
30.
B
31.
A
32.
B
33.
oral
34.
television
35.
media convergence
36.
novelty or development
37.
social scientific
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
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