Deck 4: Basic Media Writing

Question 1

One of the primary things media writing demands of you is ______.

A) accuracy
B) education
C) entertainment
D) autonomy

Answer 1

A

Question 2

If you inaccurately report information, your ______ will suffer because people will not be able to trust you.

A) credence
B) credibility
C) credulity
D) focus

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Media writing ______.

A) uses ever-expanding sentences that ramble on
B) uses the most words possible
C) focuses less on size and more on value
D) includes twists and turns

Answer 3

C

Question 4

New writers are afraid of making mistakes, and thus rely on ______.

A) a straightforward manner
B) confusion to keep their readers guessing
C) simple grammar
D) complex jargon

Question 5

Active voice requires you to write ______.

A) in the noun-verb-object format
B) in the object-noun-verb format
C) slowly
D) abstractly

Question 6

The ______ and ______ of a piece will determine how well it reads.

A) length; style
B) pace; flow
C) content; interest
D) interest; attitude

Question 7

Get the most important information to your readers as ______ as possible.

A) slowly
B) deliberately
C) quickly
D) leisurely

Question 8

The inverted pyramid style of writing tells a story in ______.

A) small bits and pieces
B) long passages
C) ascending order of importance
D) descending order of importance

Question 9

The ______ of an inverted pyramid piece is meant to capture as much important information as possible.

A) lead
B) loop
C) nut graph
D) caption

Question 10

Leads traditionally have a focus on ______.

A) your editor/producer
B) the who, what, when, where, why, and how of a piece
C) your publisher
D) society at large

Question 11

Look for the ______ core of your sentence and write that first.

A) "where did it happen"
B) "what happened to whom"
C) "who did what to whom"
D) "when did it happen"

Question 12

The length of the average lead for an inverted-pyramid piece should be about ______ words.

A) 5-10
B) 10-15
C) 15-20
D) 25-35

Question 13

A(n) ______ lead summarizes what happened and explains why it matters to your readers.

A) summary
B) name-recognition
C) interesting-action
D) event

Question 14

A(n) ______ lead puts the famous person's name at the front of the lead.

A) summary
B) name-recognition
C) event
D) second-day

Question 15

The "what" is more intriguing than the "who" when it comes to which type of lead?

A) summary lead
B) event lead
C) interesting-action lead
D) second-day lead

Question 16

The ______ leads are also helpful when a story involves multiple people.

A) second-day
B) summary
C) event
D) interesting-action

Question 17

When you write a(n) ______ lead, focus on what happened at the event, not the event itself.

A) event
B) summary
C) second-day
D) interesting-action

Question 18

You want to give your readers the most recent information at the ______ of whatever you are writing.

A) middle
B) top
C) bottom
D) end

Question 19

Newspapers tend to avoid the word ______, because reporters see this as sacrificing their objectivity.

A) I
B) me
C) you
D) them

Question 20

______ leads often fail because they presuppose that all of your readers would answer in the same way.

A) Imagine
B) Quote
C) You
D) Question

Question 21

When you start with a _____, your readers can feel as if they walked into the middle of a conversation.

A) quote
B) fact
C) question
D) conflict

Question 22

______ leads can be problematic if your readers aren't imagining what you are imagining.

A) You
B) Imagine
C) Quote
D) Question

Question 23

As you determine value for each fact, you should consider your audience's ______.

A) age
B) gender
C) needs and interests
D) location

Question 24

The inverted pyramid has you put your information into a(n) ______ order of importance.

A) descending
B) ascending
C) pointless
D) incorrect

Question 25

The structure of the inverted pyramid relies primarily on _____ paragraphs.

A) three-sentence
B) four-sentence
C) one-sentence
D) two-sentence

Question 26

One of the primary things media writing demands of you is accuracy.

Question 27

In a media setting, you want your writing to be long.

Question 28

You need to find the right word to make your point and use it in a straightforward manner.

Question 29

Active voice requires you to write in the object-verb-noun format.

Question 30

The pace and flow of a piece will determine how well it reads.

Question 31

Get the most important information to your readers as slowly as possible.

Question 32

Writing in inverted-pyramid style means writing the most important thing first, and then moving to the second most important thing and then the third most important thing and so forth.

Question 33

The inverted pyramid can also be used as a guide to determine what information you have and what you need to find.

Question 34

You should not include everything that would matter to people in the lead.

Question 35

Just because a sentence has the 5W's and 1H, it doesn't necessarily follow that you have a good lead.

Question 36

The core of a sentence comes down to the direct object and the verb.

Question 37

The length of the average lead for an inverted-pyramid piece should be about 25-35 words.

Question 38

Summary leads are helpful when you have multiple people involved in something and none of them are well known.

Question 39

Leads for inverted-pyramid stories that rely on the 5Ws and 1H are usually called summary leads.

Question 40

The more well-known someone is, the less likely that person's name will draw readers.

Question 41

What are the "Killer Be's" of good writing?

Question 42

Why has the inverted pyramid become more popular in the digital age?

Question 43

How can the inverted pyramid be used after you have finished your writing?

Question 44

What is meant by the term "lead" in an inverted-piece?

Question 45

What kinds of leads should be avoided when writing?

Question 46

Choose one of the "killer be's" of good writing, define it and then give an example.

Question 47

What is important to remember as you write a good lead?

Question 48

Describe the different types of leads.

Question 49

How do you order the rest of your pyramid?