A few sample exam questions for Soc 43 (scroll down for answers)
1. Which of the following best describes a "ritual view of communication?"
a. Communication is the process of moving messages from a sender through a medium to a receiver.
b. Communication is the process by which senders of messages receive feedback from receivers, thus reinforcing or correcting the message.
c. Communication is the construction of a shared space or map of meaning within which people can coexist.
d. Communication is the sending of messages across time and space to unseen and/or unknown audiences.
e. Whatever communication is, it's not happening to me right now.
2. Media professionals (such as the editor of the NY Times) who decide what the consumers of information are going to see on the evening news or read in the newspaper are referred to as:
a. opinion leaders
b. agenda setters
c. gatekeepers
d. professional socialization makers
e. corporate conspirators
3. Mobile privatization can best be understood by explaining the difference between:
a. Watching a game in a bar vs. watching TV alone at home.
b. watching TV with the family at home vs. listening to the radio in the car.
c. using a telephone vs. using a radio.
d. the hypodermic needle theory vs. agenda setting.
e. none of the above.
4. Why do media executives tend to prefer the predictable, tried-and-true formula to the highly innovative and creative?
a. They're mostly white males with deeply imbedded conservative political biases.
b. Their roles in large organizations create pressures to reduce risk and uncertainty.
c. They're paid by giant corporations to serve elite interests at the expense of the interests of the masses.
d. They produce content that reflects their own personal tastes.
e. They're dumb as gnats.
Answers: 1,c ; 2,c ; 3,a ; 4,b