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Instructor Resource
Filak, Dynamics of News Reporting and Writing, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
Chapter 3: Basics of Writing
Test Bank
Multiple Choice
1. When writing a story about a recent event, you should tell your audience ______ right up front.
A. past history related to the story
B. what matters most about the story
C. about similar events
D. your credentials as a reporter
2. When determining what matters most to your readers about a story you are writing, you should look at
______.
A. anything your sources say is important
B. only the most exciting or controversial elements
C. all the facts at your disposal
D. previous news stories on the topic
3. You are writing a breaking news story about a power outage downtown. What is the best way to make
sure you are telling readers what they need to know?
A. Ask yourself what you would want to know if you were personally affected by the incident.
B. Have a standard set of facts that you offer at the beginning of every story.
C. Ask officials on the scene what is the most important information to include.
D. Usually start with an estimate of the financial cost of the incident.
4. When you are using the 5W’s and 1H, which of the following sentence structures should open your
lead to place the most important elements first?
A. adverb phrase-noun-verb
B. noun-verb-object
C. noun-verb-adverb phrase
D. object-verb-noun
5. The lead of a story should contain as much ______ as possible.
A. background information
B. foreshadowing of future stories
C. attention-getting description
D. important information
6. What is the ideal structure of a lead?
A. a single-sentence paragraph of fewer than 20 words
B. a single-sentence paragraph of 25 to 35 words
C. a multi-sentence paragraph of 50 words or more
D. two or more paragraphs at 100 words total
7. You are writing a story about a local Olympic gymnast becoming the first athlete from the state to earn
a gold medal in her sport. Which of the following leads is most valuable to readers?
A. Local gymnast Kelly Smith earned a gold medal on Sunday.
B. The sun shone outside the main arena in Tokyo on Sunday as thousands of tourists, including a vocal
contingent of proud Delawareans, gathered to watch Kelly Smith earn a gold medal.
C. With near-perfect scores from judges, local gymnast Kelly Smith took top honors at the Tokyo
Olympics on Sunday, becoming the first athlete in state history to earn a gold medal in the sport.
D. By winning a gold medal on Sunday, Kelly Smith accomplished something that no other female athlete
in state history has been able to achieve.
8. You are writing a story on a topic that is unfamiliar to your audience and, as a result, you are unable to
fit all of the 5W’s and 1H in your lead. What should you do?
A. Include the remaining elements immediately after the lead.
B. Include the remaining elements in a footnote.
C. Assume your readers will have enough information to understand the story.
D. Find a new topic that is more familiar to your readers.
9. What is the most common type of lead for capturing the 5W’s and 1H?
A. name-recognition
B. interesting-action
C. second-day
D. summary
10. The best way to decide which type of lead to write for a given story is to ______.
A. survey your audience and determine which type of lead they most enjoy
B. pick whichever approach emphasizes the most important information in the story
C. ask your editor for guidance about the publication’s house style
D. create a “signature” style for your leads and use it in every story
11. Which of the following lead types is most appropriate for a profile on a famous politician?
A. interesting-action
B. summary
C. name-recognition
D. event
12. When what happened overshadows who was involved in the event, you should write a(n) ______
lead.
A. event
B. interesting-action
C. name-recognition
D. summary
13. Which lead type is best for meetings, speeches and news conferences?
A. summary
B. name-recognition
C. interesting action
D. event
14. Which of the following event leads is most useful to readers?
A. The school board held a meeting on Thursday night at Cherry Hill Elementary.
B. Dozens of concerned parents attended a school board meeting at Cherry Hill Elementary on Thursday.
C. The school board approved a plan on Thursday night to shorten summer vacation by one week.
D. Students were dismayed by what the school board decided at its meeting on Thursday night.
15. What should appear in the lead for a follow-up story on a topic you have already covered?
A. the newest information available
B. a recap of previous coverage
C. speculation on what might happen next
D. clarification of errors in previous coverage
16. Which of the following leads is problematic?
A. Sweet Treats bakery, owned and operated by celebrated local chef Tonya Redding, opened downtown
on Friday.
B. After one look at the menu, you won’t be able to resist visiting downtown’s newest bakery, Sweet
Treats, which opened on Friday.
C. Cupcake connoisseurs lined up around the block on Friday for the opening of local chef Tonya
Redding’s newest bakery, Sweet Treats.
D. Local chef Tonya Redding opened her newest venture, Sweet Treats Bakery, downtown on Friday
afternoon to rave reviews from critics and customers.
17. What is the best way to repair a “you should” lead?
A. Change the “you should” phrase to an “I will” phrase.
B. Include a clarifying sentence that participation is not mandatory, only suggested.
C. Find a source to give a quote with the “you should” phrase included.
D. Replace the “you should” phrase with information on how interested parties can participate.
18. Which type of lead is most likely to fall victim to a straw man approach?
A. “you” leads
B. summary leads
C. question leads
D. quote leads
19. When is it appropriate to include a quote in your story?
A. when you have already established a context for the quote in the lead
B. when you want to open the story with an inspirational quote from a famous figure
C. when you want your lead to make readers wonder what the story is about
D. when you want your lead to shock your readers with a controversial quote
20. It is appropriate to include a short anecdote in a lead when you want to ______.
A. give your story a sense of mystery
B. express the improbability of an event
C. advocate for a specific activity or point of view
D. reveal personal details about yourself
21. You are writing a story on a highly publicized murder trial. According to the inverted pyramid
approach, in which order should the facts appear?
A. in descending order of importance
B. in ascending order of importance
C. in descending order of oddity or novelty
D. in ascending order of oddity or novelty
22. You are writing a story about the firing of a local principal due to misconduct. Which of the following
information should appear first?
A. the reaction of teachers at the school
B. the identities of candidates for the job
Instructor Resource
Filak, Dynamics of News Reporting and Writing, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
C. what the principal did to cause the firing
D. how well students at the school do on test scores
23. A story you are writing on a recent land-use decision by the county commissioners includes a
significant amount of background information on the history of the land in question. How should you
structure this section of the story?
A. combine all background information into a single lengthy paragraph
B. alternate long and short paragraphs
C. limit paragraphs to four sentences
D. use a maximum of two sentences per paragraph
24. You are writing a feature story for an online publication. What is the best way for you to break up the
information so that it is easy for your audience to read?
A. indent each paragraph
B. double returns between paragraphs
C. use drop caps (large decorative letters) at the start of each paragraph
D. use different fonts and colors for each paragraph
25. A story you wrote has a lot of background information broken into small paragraphs. To make it easier
for readers to follow, you have included an indent at the start of each paragraph. In which publication
format is your story most likely to appear?
A. printed newspaper
B. social media post
C. newspaper website
D. personal blog
26. When people hear the word “quote,” they most often think of the ______ quote.
A. partial
B. hybrid
C. direct
D. indirect
27. Which of the following best describes a direct quote?
A. summarizing a source’s statement
B. printing a source’s statement word for word
C. including a portion of a source’s statement for emphasis
D. describing how a source would likely react if asked about a topic
28. How should direct quotes be demarcated?
A. double returns before and after the quote
B. bold lettering
C. italics
D. opening and closing quote marks
29. What type of quote is best to use when a source offers his or her opinion on why something did or did
not happen?
A. direct
B. indirect
C. partial
D. hybrid
30. Which of the following should be printed as a direct quote?
A. a statement recapping what happened
B. a statement containing only a few words relevant to your story
C. a long and meandering quote
D. a quote using colorful or exciting language
31. Which of the following best describes an indirect quote?
A. an exact reproduction of a statement
B. a short excerpt from a longer statement
Instructor Resource
Filak, Dynamics of News Reporting and Writing, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
C. a paraphrase or summary of a statement
D. a guess on how a subject feels about a topic
32. When does an indirect quote help improve a story?
A. when you want to attribute a made-up quote to a subject
B. when a statement is clumsy but important
C. when a subject makes an eloquent or thought-provoking statement
D. when a quote helps to fill in important details beyond the basic facts
33. What is the best way to report what the speaker said when a speech is long and riddled with filler
words such as “um” and “you know”?
A. reprint the entire speech word-for-word and break it up with double returns
B. mention that the person gave a speech and promise to reprint it in your next story
C. ignore the speech and write the story without mentioning it
D. use an indirect quote to condense the speech
34. When is it appropriate to use a partial quote?
A. when you want to repurpose the quote to describe something else
B. when you want to edit out part of a quote that you disagree with
C. when a few key words are enough to convey the meaning of a statement
D. when the audience is familiar with the speaker and can fill in the rest of the statement
35. What value do attributions add to news stories?
A. They make stories more exciting.
B. They help explain complex terminology and ideas.
C. They let readers know where your information comes from.
D. They eliminate useless or redundant information.
36. You are writing a story that includes a direct quote from a source. In most cases, the verb you should
use to attribute the quote to your source is ______.
A. proclaimed
B. said
C. declared
D. alleged
37. You are writing a story that includes quotes from a famous movie star. Where should the attribution
appear?
A. at the front of the quote
B. after the quote
C. in a footnote
D. in the lead paragraph
38. When a quote extends to multiple sentences, the attribution should appear ______.
A. at the front of the quote
B. immediately after the last sentence of the quote
C. between the first and second sentences of the quote
D. in the final paragraph of the story
39. Which of the following scenarios calls for use of “testified” as the verb of attribution?
A. a feature on a local celebrity
B. a story about legal proceedings
C. a story featuring anonymous sources
D. a story recapping a recent sporting event
40. Which of the following verbs of attribution is best used when your quote comes from a written
document?
Instructor Resource
Filak, Dynamics of News Reporting and Writing, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
A. stated
B. announced
C. said
D. declared
41. Why do most news organizations limit the use of “according to” in attributions?
A. It is too formal for most readers.
B. It casts doubt on the statement.
C. It obscures the source of the quote.
D. It can only be used for printed documents.
42. What is the primary danger of using descriptive verbs of attribution such as “chuckled” or “growled”?
A. You may misinterpret the speaker’s tone.
B. Your colorful language may distract readers from the information in the quote.
C. You are in violation of the rule that limits attribution verbs to “said.”
D. Longer verbs of attribution take up too much space on the page.
43. What determines the order in which nouns and verbs appear in an attribution?
A. the writer’s preference
B. strict rules of grammar
C. the structure and flow of the story
D. the first letter of each word
1. SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following actions should you do to apply audience centricity
to the writing of news stories?
A. demonstrate how the story affects you as a reporter
B. pick stories that matter
C. demonstrate the value of the story to readers in the lead
Instructor Resource
Filak, Dynamics of News Reporting and Writing, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
D. address the reader directly as “you”
2. SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. You are writing a story about the city council’s decision to raise taxes to
help pay the cost of road repairs. What types of information are most important to include up front?
A. the projected cost to each taxpayer
B. the mayor’s response to the decision
C. the expected benefit to local commuters
D. total cost of the repairs
3. SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. When you are writing a lead story based on the 5W’s and 1H, which
elements make up the core that you should begin with?
A. why
B. how
C. who
D. what
4. SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following characteristics are likely to produce a generic lead
and make readers feel cheated?
A. accuracy
B. hyperbole
C. focus
D. overgeneralization
5. SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following are viable alternatives to using generalizations
such as “everybody” or “nobody” in a lead when describing an unexpected event or oddity?
A. a description of another odd event that was just as unlikely
B. anecdotes from the people involved in the story
C. statistics and other data that clarify the unlikeliness of the event
D. a personal story about how shocked you were by the event
6. SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. You are writing a story on the local sports team’s narrow loss in an
important playoff game. In the paragraph after the lead, you find yourself deviating from a description of
what happened during the game to discuss ongoing conflicts between coaches and players in the locker
room. Which of the following are options for repairing your story?
A. rewrite the lead to focus on the tense relationship between players and coaches
B. include a second lead that clarifies why the infighting is also important news
C. discuss both the game and the team conflicts in a single lead
D. rewrite the body of the story to focus on what happened during the game
7. SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following are potential problems with using partial quotes?
A. Readers may assume you are incapable of gathering useful quotes.
B. Your editor may complain about your stories being too short.
C. Readers may assume your source is a poor speaker.
D. Your story may lack flavor and punch.
1. A problem with the inverted pyramid format is that it does not give readers the information they most
want up front.
2. All of the 5W’s and 1H should fit into a single sentence of your lead.
3. A second-day lead could apply to a story about an event that took place months ago.
4. The purpose of asking questions is to serve as a conduit for information between the subject and the
reader.
5. Question leads are useful in generating a consensus opinion among your readers.
6. When ordering the facts of your story according to the inverted pyramid, you need to justify your
decisions to your editor.
7. The best way to draw your reader in to your writing is to write long paragraphs.
8. All of the information you have gathered in your reporting should appear in your story.
9. One advantage of using “said” as a verb of attribution is that it is nonjudgmental.
10. You should always adhere to classical rules of grammar when determining the structure of your
attributions.
1. How should the core of a lead be structured and what advantages does this structure have?
2. List at least three types of leads that go beyond standard summary leads and which type of story they
are best suited for.
3. Why do “you” leads tend to fall flat, and what can be done to fix them?
4. What is wrong with the straw-man approach to writing leads?
5. Explain the strengths and weaknesses of using the attribution verb “said” throughout your stories.
Instructor Resource
Filak, Dynamics of News Reporting and Writing, 1e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
1. Demonstrate why it is important to focus on individual-level impacts in your writing rather than going
after the “big story” using broad strokes.
2. Describe the recommended process of writing leads that give readers as much important information
as possible. How should the lead be structured, and what types of information should be included?
3. You are reporting on an explosion and fire downtown that started when a work crew accidentally
ruptured a gas line. The resulting fire caused extensive damage to a historic building in the area. Write a
lead for your story and explain how it adheres to the concept of the 5W’s and 1H.
4. Explain how you would use the inverted pyramid approach to write a story. Choose a topic that
interests you (sample topics include technology, sports, politics or climate change) and write a brief
outline of a related story based on the inverted pyramid approach. Your story idea may be made up or
taken from real world events.
5. Elaborate on the relationship between audience centricity and attributions. How do attributions add
value to a story for readers and strengthen the relationship between a journalist and his or her audience?
