Filak, Dynamics of Media Writing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
Chapter 12: Public Relations
Test Bank
Multiple Choice
1. Public relations workers take action that is ______.
A. intentional
B. non-intentional
C. accidental
D. obtrusive
2. Public relations is a(n) ______ attempt to create action or reaction.
A. unorganized
B. organized
C. archaic
D. distributed
3. What will determine how public relations practitioners are judged?
A. how loud they are
B. how good-looking they are
C. how well practitioners execute their work
D. how much they earn
4. Communication within the sphere of public relations must ______ .
A. define your sources
Filak, Dynamics of Media Writing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
B. define your quotes
C. define your facts
D. serve the sender and the receiver
5. In public relations, good practitioners understand that sending a message is
important, but receiving feedback from the recipients of that message ______.
A. also matters.
B. doesn’t really matter.
C. is annoying.
D. is expensive.
6. All of the following are types of news releases EXCEPT ______ .
A. announcements
B. reflex releases
C. reaction releases
D. bad news
7. A news release, or press release as it is often called, can do all of the following
EXCEPT ______.
A. create awareness
B. draw attention
C. create product
D. inspire action
8. The purpose of the news release is to ______.
A. provide content for an organization’s website
B. provide journalists with reading material
C. give public relations practitioners something to do
D. inform the media about an important topic that deserves public attention
9. ______ releases allow you to notify the media and the public about things like
changes in personnel, product launches, employment opportunities, and legal actions.
A. Announcements
B. Spot announcements
C. Reaction releases
D. Bad news
10. ______ form of release alerts the media to breaking news items that affect the
company or organization, such as a fire at a job site or a power outage at a stadium.
A. Announcements
B. Spot announcements
C. Reaction releases
D. Reflex releases
11. ______ releases allow you to respond to newsworthy events and statements that
impact your audience.
A. Announcements
B. Reflex releases
C. Reaction releases
D. Bad news
Filak, Dynamics of Media Writing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
12. ______ types of releases allow you to explain issues related to bad news and make
statements regarding what will happen next from your end.
A. Localization
B. Announcements
C. Reflex releases
D. Bad news
13. Releases like ______ allow you to bring the broader issue to your readers in a local
way.
A. localization
B. bad news
C. reflex releases
D. announcements
14. ______ pieces provide the basic information about a topic, a company, a group, an
event, or an idea.
A. News releases
B. Fact sheets
C. Media alerts
D. Pitches
15. ______ pieces can also list key sources the reporters can contact, important
historical moments that can inform on a current situation, or time–date–place elements
for an upcoming event.
A. News releases
B. Pitches
C. Fact sheets
D. Media alerts
16. ______ form of writing blends the lead-writing approach associated with the inverted
pyramid and the bulleted approach common to fact sheets.
A. News releases
B. Pitches
C. Fact sheets
D. Media alerts
17. ______ pieces typically use many of the 5Ws and 1H as a starting point for the
bullets.
A. Media alerts
B. Fact sheets
C. Pitches
D. News releases
18. Practitioners write ______ to reporters, in which they outline the topic and provide
facts on it.
A. news releases
B. pitches
C. fact sheets
D. media alerts
Filak, Dynamics of Media Writing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
19. The following are keys to good public relations EXCEPT ______ .
A. transparency
B. craft the best possible message
C. hide information as much as possible
D. understand your audience
20. The idea behind ______ is to lay bare all of the issues associated with a topic,
regardless of how good or bad they are, in a clear and immediate way.
A. focus
B. fame
C. oddity
D. transparency
21. The following are keys to crafting a quality message EXCEPT ______ .
A. don’t try to understand your audience
B. support your claims
C. present information clearly
D. have a heart
22. With the exception of feature stories, the last paragraph of a news release is usually
______.
Filak, Dynamics of Media Writing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
A. a summary
B. the boilerplate or corporate tag
C. a restatement of the lead
D. a look into the future
23. ______ signals to the readers that the news release is finished.
A. Dateline
B. Slug line
C. An end-of-story symbol of ### or –30–
D. Headline
24. The body copy of a news release is ______ so it makes it easier for editors to make
copy changes, if necessary.
A. bold-faced
B. single-spaced
C. triple-spaced
D. double-spaced
25. Websites associated with traditional media powers have ______ .
A. a much bigger reach
B. a much smaller reach
C. the same reach
D. no reach
Filak, Dynamics of Media Writing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
Difficulty Level: Easy
True/False
1. Public relations workers take action that is intentional.
2. Public relations is not an organized attempt to create action or reaction.
3. Communication within the sphere of public relations must serve the sender and the
receiver.
4. In public relations, good practitioners understand that sending a message is
important and receiving feedback from the recipients doesn’t really matter.
5. The news release is the practitioner’s most common tool.
6. Spot announcements allow you to notify the media and the public about things like
changes in personnel, product launches, employment opportunities, and legal actions.
7. Reaction releases allow you to respond to newsworthy events and statements that
impact your audience.
8. With bad news releases, there is a local interest in putting information out to the
public about a broader issue.
9. Fact sheets provide the basic information about a topic, a company, a group, an
event, or an idea.
10. Pitches blend the lead-writing approach associated with the inverted pyramid and
the bulleted approach common to fact sheets.
11. Practitioners suggest ideas for stories to news outlets.
Filak, Dynamics of Media Writing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
12. Transparency is never a good idea in public relations.
13. The idea behind transparency is to lay bare all of the issues associated with a topic,
regardless of how good or bad they are, in a clear and immediate way.
14. Your goal in public relations is to create the best possible message and disseminate
it in a way your audience can accept and understand it.
15. Practitioners in this field rarely have multiple audiences.
1. What are a few terms and concepts that appear in many good definitions of public
relations?
2. What are some of the various pieces that practitioners create on a daily basis?
3. What is transparency and why is it important?
4. Why is the media important to public relations?
5. How can you adjust your message to your audience in public relations?
1. What are some of the key aspects of public relations?
Filak, Dynamics of Media Writing, 2e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
2. List and describe some common types of news releases.
3. List and describe the most common forms of communication used in public relations.
4. What are some of the keys to doing public relations well?
5. Why does the media still matter to those in public relations?