MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE -- MASS COMM 72

The midterm exam will be held in class on Thursday, March 22.  Please show up on time.  You will have the entire class period to complete the exam, though you may not need that long. The exam will consist of three parts -- multiple choice, identifications, and short answers.  

You are responsible for Campbell, Chapters 1, 4-9, and all material covered in lecture.

Points stressed both in lecture and readings are generally more likely to appear on the exam than those mentioned only in readings. Points only from lecture probably fall somewhere in the middle.

There will be 100 points total on the exam, which will be divided among three parts. Multiple choice (20 points -- you will be given 12 to choose from and will answer 10); identifications (30 points -- again, you will be given 12 to choose from and will answer 10) and short answer (50 points -- you will be given six to choose from and will answer five). Short answers should run about four or five sentences in length, though this will vary from question to question. 

Please bring a couple of pens or pencils, preferably the former, to write with. (If I can't read what you write, I can't give you credit.) As with the quizzes, you will fill in all answers on the exam sheet.  We will not use scan-trons or exam books.

Below are some example questions of each type. Their presence does not necessarily mean they will, or will not, be on the exam; they are intended only as examples.

I. Multiple Choice: (Choose only one unless otherwise noted):
1. A device for conveying information is called a/an:
        a. info mover
        b. medium
        c. tracer
        d. imprint
        e. none of the above.

2. Yellow journalism is said to have acquired its name because of
        a. the yellowish newsprint used by the papers of the time.
        b. the cowardly nature of many editors.
        c. the Yellow Kid, a comic strip character.
        d. the sensational nature of many news stories of the time.
        e. none of the above.

3. The textbook defines media ___________ as "attaining knowledge and understanding of mass media."
        a. acculturation
        b. literacy
        c. savvy
        d. society
        e. none of the above.

4. One early disaster that gained notoriety through its coverage on radio was 
        a. the sinking of the Titanic.
        b. Charles Lindbergh’s death in a plane crash.
        c. explosion of the Hindenburg airship.
        d. explosion of the Lusitania airship.
        e. all of the above.


II. Identifications:

1. A.C. Nielsen Inc. measures ___________ for television shows.

2. In response to the popularity of television, both magazines and radio had to ___________ to regain market share.

3. Radio programs required listeners to use their ___________ more than television does.

4. In addition to having stars under contract, the Big Five movie studios also built ___________ in many cities.
 

III. Short Answer:

1. Describe some of the factors that led to radio's popularity in the 1930s and '40s.

2. How did muckraking end up changing the nature of American journalism in the early 20th Century?

3. Give some examples of how magazines have helped promote the sale of books over the years.

4. How did the introduction of television affect radio?
 

GOOD  LUCK !



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