Reporting and Editing Questions and Answers

Answer: C

Typefaces used for the editorial pages are large, according to the key. The editorial page is meant for thoughtful reading, so the type is set at a more generous size and in a more restful style than the heavy, compact type used for news. Dark and thin faces do not describe a standard rule for the page, and small type would make the long articles harder to read. Option C is the keyed answer. The shape of the page matters as well: a column of long, heavy opinion pieces needs room, so the type is bigger and the settings are lighter than on the front page, where news is crowded in.

Answer: B

Two facing pages in the centre of a magazine create a centre spread. The pages across the fold are printed as one unit, so a picture or a story can run across both without a break, and the layout is treated as a single design. Double page, open page and combined page are not the standard terms for this. Option B is correct. A magazine is held together with staples or stitching at the centre fold, so the two middle pages are the only pair that is printed on one sheet across the fold, which allows the picture to run unbroken across the gutter.

Answer: A

Both statements are true, and the key takes the reason as supporting the assertion. A box story, a short item set off in a ruled box, should be at least two columns wide, since a narrow box would look cramped and be easy to overlook. A box of that width stands out from the surrounding text and makes a stronger impression on the reader, which is the dramatic impact that the reason names. Options C and D deny the truth of one of the statements, so option A is the keyed answer.

Answer: A

Both statements are true. Too many multiple-column headlines on a page make it spotty, since the page ends up with several heavy blocks scattered over it with no clear order. The reason, that such headlines become weighty and are centres of interest, explains why: each competes for the reader's eye, and the page looks patchy. In the key, option A, both true, is the answer, and the statements are not contradicted by options C or D.

Answer: A

The matching is a-3, b-4, c-2, d-1. A watchdog, the press in its role of guarding the public interest, is surveillance, and a sting, a hidden operation to catch a wrongdoer on camera, is a television matter. Those are the two pairs that can be fixed with certainty. Only option A has c as 2 and d as 1; option B puts the watchdog with computer software, option C with shooting, and option D pairs the sting with software. The remaining pair, eagle eye with shooting and dragon's tail with computer software, completes option A, which is the keyed answer.

Answer: D

Time angle is important in broadcast copy. Radio and television news are written to give the latest event, and the words and tense used show how fresh the item is.

Magazine copy, feature stories and non-news copy are less tied to the time of the event, since they deal with background and human interest. So option D is the key. Broadcast copy uses the present tense and words like today, tonight and now to give the time angle prominence.

Answer: D

The key is that (A) is false and (R) is true. Press conferences, protests and parades are fine examples of pseudo events, which are events planned for the media, and the media depend on them.

Individuals and organisations create pseudo events to get publicity, not for self satisfaction, so the assertion as worded is false. Hence option D, (A) false and (R) true. The statement of the reason is accepted as it lists genuine examples of events staged for coverage.

Answer: B

The Wall Street Journal is a business and finance paper (3), The Sun is a gossip and crime paper (4), USA Today is a national newspaper (2) and the National Geographic is a specialised journal (1). So the code is 3, 4, 2, 1.

Options A, C and D give the Wall Street Journal the wrong category, such as national newspaper or specialised journal. The paper categories are the usual ones: Wall Street Journal for markets, USA Today as a national daily, and National Geographic as a specialised magazine.

Answer: C

The broadcast style of writing demands nickel words: short, simple, everyday words that the listener grasps at once, as opposed to long and ornate ones. The nickel and dime image contrasts them with high-priced words, so golden, juicy and iron words are not part of the style. The answer is (C). The aim of broadcast writing is to be understood on a single hearing, so short, plain words are preferred to long ones, as listeners cannot go back.

Answer: B

The assertion is true, since Western agencies such as Reuters have moved towards specialised areas of news, notably economic and financial news. The reason is also true, in that the dominance of the American agencies has left the others with limited options, but it is not presented as the explanation of the shift. The official key (B), both true and the reason not the correct explanation, is accepted. Options (C) and (D) deny the truth of one of them.