Deck 14: Thinking Critically About the Media

Question 1

Ads that employ terms such as "fresh," "natural," or "clean" are using _____.

A) feel-good language
B) puffery
C) None of the answers are correct
D) emotive language

Answer 1

emotive language

Question 2

Young people, including college students, usually claim that _____.

A) advertising does influence them, but only to a limited extent
B) advertising does not influence them
C) they are indifferent to advertising
D) advertising strongly influences them

Answer 2

advertising does not influence them

Question 3

When nonprofessional but dedicated writers routinely publish their own news by narrating events, filing eyewitness accounts, and uploading videos of significant stories about major and current events, the writers are known as _____.

A) politically biased sources
B) alternative media
C) citizen journalists
D) media watchdogs

Answer 3

citizen journalists

Question 4

In the broadcast media, the use of a very small segment of a speaker's comments from a longer and more complex set of comments is called _____.

A) a sound bite
B) a clip
C) a snippet
D) None of the answers are correct

Question 5

The news media is often criticized because _____.

A) it often distorts meaning in its presentation of the news
B) it often distorts meaning in its presentation of the news and it often employs attention-grabbing techniques that do little to increase our knowledge of a topic
C) it often employs attention-grabbing techniques that do little to increase our knowledge of a topic
D) None of the answers are correct

Question 6

Advertisements simply mirror, rather than shape, consumer preferences and values.

Question 7

According to the text, much of the content from the mainstream media _____.

A) has a strong anti-government bias
B) has a pronounced conservative bias
C) has a pronounced liberal bias
D) fits into a narrow band of ideology that falls on the center of the political spectrum

Question 8

"Helps," "fights," and "up to" are common weasel words.

Question 9

The news media tend to extract information from the wider context, leaving us with some facts but little knowledge.

Question 10

Mass media are defined not by the size of the organizations but by the size of their potential audiences.

Question 11

Young people, including college students, readily admit that advertising influences their purchasing decisions.

Question 12

Which of the following is an item of high-involvement buying?

A) a bag of lettuce
B) a vacation home
C) a can of hairspray
D) a pack of candy

Question 13

According to the text, the most helpful factor in determining the meaning of a message is its _____.

A) connotation
B) literal meaning
C) None of the answers are correct
D) context

Question 14

In advertising, "puffery" refers to _____.

A) an appeal to patriotism and group loyalty to sell products
B) None of the answers are correct
C) the use of repetitive jingles and meaningless slogans to sell products
D) the use of humor to sell products

Question 15

Social media pose many critical thinking challenges.

Question 16

Ads that play on our fears and insecurities are known as anxiety ads.

Question 17

"Social media" generally refers to Internet sites that allow content to be created and modified collaboratively (e.g., wikis) as well as sites that permit users to share their own text, videos, and photos (e.g., Facebook).

Question 18

The tendency to seek and uncritically trust any new information that confirms one's existing beliefs and opinions and to disregard any information that challenges them is termed as _____.

A) confirmation bias
B) doxing
C) vigilantism
D) participatory journalism

Question 19

According to research conducted at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 2015, social media use among young adults was significantly associated with increased depression.

Question 20

Media literacy can be defined as _____.

A) the tendency to seek and uncritically trust any new information that confirms one's existing beliefs
B) the ability to narrate events, file eyewitness accounts, and upload videos of current events
C) the tendency to believe and repeat a set of ideas and information that is never challenged
D) the ability to effectively and efficiently comprehend and utilize mass communication

Question 21

Which of the following is an item of low-involvement buying?

A) a smartphone
B) a laptop
C) a pair of socks
D) an insurance plan

Question 22

The following is an example of an anxiety ad: "You knock off your reps in record time, score the winning point, and get swarmed by a scrum of hotties who all coo, 'Oh your shirt is so sweaty, I love it!' Not! (We all know hotties hate sweat.) Keep the soft fabric feel you love, ditch the sideline-inducing soak." (Ad for Warrior Performance Cotton clothes)

Question 23

Every advertisement serves two basic functions, which are _____.

A) to manipulate and to persuade
B) to inform and to motivate
C) to captivate and to amuse
D) None of the answers are correct

Question 24

Soft news focuses on human interest stories of heartache, accomplishment, and perseverance.

Question 25

"Savings up to 70% storewide!" This ad employs _____.

A) None of the answers are correct
B) puffery
C) emotive language
D) weasel words

Question 26

The echo chamber phenomenon takes advantage of a common human inclination called confirmation bias and gives rise to social media pitfalls, such as either/or thinking.

Question 27

An advertisement promoting membership plans of a certain gym appears in newspapers after the Christmas holidays. It talks about quickly losing the extra pounds gained during the festive season. In the context of the standard gimmicks that advertisers use, this best exemplifies _____.

A) an anxiety ad
B) humor
C) emotive language
D) puffery

Question 28

What doesn't make the newspapers and the nightly news broadcast usually includes _____.

A) stories too complicated for quick and painless consumption
B) None of the answers are correct
C) stories highly critical of powerful corporations and the news media itself
D) stories too complicated for quick and painless consumption and stories highly critical of powerful corporations and the news media itself

Question 29

Feel-good ads are used to appeal to certain images people have of themselves, for example, as competent, cool, caring, responsible, or sophisticated.

Question 30

Buying decisions that consumers typically put little thought into are known as _____.

A) snap buying
B) impulse purchases
C) high-involvement buying
D) low-involvement buying

Question 31

Weasel words are words or phrases used in advertising to _____.

A) water down or qualify a claim so that it ends up being practically meaningless
B) make meaningless comparisons with competing products
C) create a positive emotional response to the advertised product
D) None of the answers are correct

Question 32

While the news media certainly hopes to inform us of daily events, it is constrained by the need to achieve an additional objective, which is to _____.

A) support democratic processes and values
B) promote and sell commercial products and services to a large audience
C) remain completely impartial and objective
D) None of the answers are correct

Question 33

When an individual follows only those online groups that reflect and validate his or her opinions, beliefs, and theories, he or she can become _____.

A) a media watchdog
B) a critical analyzer of news
C) trapped in an echo chamber
D) a wiki collaborator

Question 34

Instead of information that can clarify our thinking and help us make decisions, the news is full of events an audience will find most exciting, titillating, shocking, disturbing, frightening, heartwarming, or easy to comprehend and identify with.

Question 35

The following ad employs emotive language: "We're proud to make so many of the Frito-Lay snacks you love with all-natural ingredients. We believe that real flavor comes straight from nature. From farm-fresh tomatoes to fragrant basil to slow-roasted chipotle peppers, we make sure to use the best nature has to offer. Why? Because our snacks go from our home to yours. And for us, there's no better reason." (Ad for Frito-Lay snack chips)

Question 36

News organizations usually avoid devoting their extensive resources to exploring persistent trends, perennial issues, or the root causes and possible solutions of common problems.