Filak, Dynamics of Media Writing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
Chapter 1: Know Your Audience
Test Bank
Multiple Choice
1. What is the singular purpose of media outlets?
A. to serve the audience
B. to serve the government
C. to serve the editor/producer
D. to serve society
2. Selective exposure means ______.
A. audience members will only remember the kinds of information they like
B. audience members will gravitate to topics they know, writers they like, and
information providers they trust
C. audience members will only get their information from the Internet
D. audience members will only get their information from friends
3. The goal for today’s media professionals, regardless of the specialty they practice, is
______.
A. include as many facts as they can in their stories
B. include as many quotes as they can in their stories
C. to learn as much as possible about the people they serve and put forth content that
targets those people specifically
D. learn as little as they can about their audience because it is more important to put
their attention into reporting
4. Before you can meet the needs of your audience, you need to ______.
A. define your sources
B. define your quotes
C. define your facts
D. define your audience
5. The most basic way to define an audience is through ______.
A. demographics
B. lifestyle
C. geographics
D. psychographics
6. Demographics commonly include ______.
A. area placement
B. age, gender, race, education, and relationship status
C. personality traits
D. interests and attitudes
7. Microtargeting posts ______.
A. target people based on generalities
B. target people based solely on geographic area
C. target people based on specific interests
D. target people based on income levels
8. People relate well to events that ______.
A. happen far from them
B. happen in large cities
C. happen near them
D. happen in small towns
9. Psychographics allow media professionals to examine an audience based on
______.
A. location
B. gender
C. religion
D. personality traits, values, interests, and attitudes
10. One way to approach your audience is to conceptualize its members in a way that
makes them more real for you. This is sometimes called ______.
A. personification of the audience
B. unification of the audience
C. probability of the audience
D. possibility of the audience
11. Don’t write for yourself. Write for ______.
A. your editor/producer
B. your readers
C. your publisher
Filak, Dynamics of Media Writing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
D. society at large
12. ______ should factor into how you write and how you transmit your content.
A. How your readers want to get their information
B. How far your readers traveled
C. How much your readers paid
D. How often your readers access news
13. Platform refers to ______.
A. the height of a computer monitor
B. politics
C. the way text appears on a cell phone
D. paper, television, desktop, and mobile
14. Examples of an outlet would include ______.
A. New York Post, Vogue magazine, and ESPN.com
B. a newsstand
C. a grocery store
D. a TV station
15. In some cases, audience characteristics ______.
A. are nonexistent
B. remain constant over time, but the members of that audience will change over time
C. disappear over time
D. melt into one over time
16. The more important the person, ______.
A. the less likely people will pay attention
B. the more likely people will ignore it
C. the more likely people will pay attention
D. the less likely people will understand
17. Fame falls into ______.
A. one category
B. three categories
C. five categories
D. two categories
18. A president is an example of a person who is ______.
A. famous for an extended period of time
B. famous for a short period of time
C. not famous
D. famous only if he or she is popular
19. Bits of weirdness, the novelty of firsts, lasts, and onlies refers to ______.
A. fame
B. oddity
C. conflict
D. immediacy
20. When two or more individuals or collective units are seeking a goal that is mutually
exclusive, ______ will arise.
A. compassion
B. confusion
C. conflict
D. comprehension
21. Sporting events, where teams attempt to exert dominance over each other, are an
example of ______.
A. focus
B. fame
C. oddity
D. conflict
22. News of the weird is an example of ______.
A. oddity
Filak, Dynamics of Media Writing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
B. obscenity
C. altruism
D. conflict
23. Immediacy means ______.
A. news is reported as soon as it occurs
B. people want to know what is happening around them at any given point in time and
they want to know before anyone else does
C. stories are published and distributed as quickly as possible
D. people forget what they have read quickly
24. Breaking news is an example of ______.
A. fame
B. oddity
C. immediacy
D. conflict
25. As immediacy remains an important interest element, ______.
A. digital platforms and mobile devices will see their value decrease over time
B. digital platforms and mobile devices will see their value stay the same over time
C. digital platforms and mobile devices will quickly become obsolete
D. digital platforms and mobile devices will see their value increase exponentially
26. ______ helps you explain how the information you put forth will directly affect the
readers.
A. Immediacy
B. Oddity.
C. Conflict
D. Impact
1. Media outlets today have many different purposes.
2. Selective exposure means audience members will gravitate to topics they know,
writers they like, and information providers they trust.
3. The goal for today’s media professionals, regardless of the specialty they practice, is
to include as many facts as they can in their stories.
4. Before you can meet the needs of your audience, you need to define your audience.
5. The most basic way to define an audience is through lifestyle.
6. Demographics commonly include age, gender, race, education, and relationship
status.
7. Microtargeting posts called “demolisticles” target people based on specific interests.
8. Microtargeting has not become a huge factor in political campaigns over the past
decade.
9. People relate well to events that happen near them.
10. Area placement doesn’t mean much to advertisers and event organizers.
Filak, Dynamics of Media Writing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
11. Psychographics allow media professionals to examine an audience based on
religion.
12. One way to better approach your audience is to conceptualize its members in a way
that makes them more real for you. This is sometimes called unification of the audience.
13. Don’t write for yourself. Write for your readers.
14. How much your readers paid should factor into how you write and how you transmit
your content.
1. How can you define your audience?
Filak, Dynamics of Media Writing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
2. How has microtargeting become a huge factor in political campaigns over the past
decade?
3. What are the key points to remember about how to serve your readers?
4. What interest elements can you use to attract an audience?
5. What kinds of impact are there?
Filak, Dynamics of Media Writing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
Essay
1. List and explain some ways to define an audience.
2. What are some key questions to ask in serving your readers?
Difficulty Level: Medium
3. What attracts an audience?
4. What do audiences need to know?
Filak, Dynamics of Media Writing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
5. How can you propose options for your audience?