OSSLT Interpreting News Reports 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A news article's subheading reads: 'Local hospital faces staff shortages amid funding cuts.' The subheading's main purpose is to:
- Provide the journalist's opinion on hospital management
- Give readers a preview of the article's key focus before they read the full story (Correct answer)
- Replace the need for a lead paragraph
- Identify the article's sources
Correct answer: Give readers a preview of the article's key focus before they read the full story
Subheadings help readers quickly understand the article's focus and decide whether to read further.
Question 2: A reporter writes: 'According to Statistics Canada, the unemployment rate rose to 6.5%.' Citing Statistics Canada mainly serves to:
- Make the article longer
- Lend credibility by attributing the statistic to an authoritative, verifiable source (Correct answer)
- Show the reporter personally collected the data
- Prove that the government controls the media
Correct answer: Lend credibility by attributing the statistic to an authoritative, verifiable source
Citing a recognized official source gives readers confidence that the statistic is accurate and verifiable.
Question 3: In news reporting, the term 'embargo' means:
- A ban on publishing a story until a specified date or time (Correct answer)
- A correction printed after an error is found
- An agreement to keep a source's identity secret
- A form of government censorship
Correct answer: A ban on publishing a story until a specified date or time
An embargo is an agreement between a news source and journalists to hold a story until a set release time.
Question 4: A news report uses the passive voice: 'Three people were injured in the collision.' Compared to active voice, passive voice here:
- Makes the sentence more exciting and dramatic
- Omits who or what caused the collision, focusing on those affected (Correct answer)
- Is always considered poor writing style in journalism
- Identifies the driver at fault
Correct answer: Omits who or what caused the collision, focusing on those affected
Passive voice shifts focus to the people affected while leaving the cause or agent unspecified or secondary.
Question 5: A journalist describes an event as 'unprecedented.' On the OSSLT, this word most likely means:
- Happening regularly and as expected
- Never having occurred or existed before (Correct answer)
- Controversial and widely debated
- Poorly documented by historians
Correct answer: Never having occurred or existed before
'Unprecedented' means there is no previous example or precedent for what is being described.
Question 6: A news article about a protest includes perspectives from organizers, police, and city officials. This approach best demonstrates:
- The journalist's personal support for the protest
- Comprehensive reporting that presents multiple stakeholder viewpoints (Correct answer)
- Lack of focus and a disorganized article structure
- Bias toward law enforcement
Correct answer: Comprehensive reporting that presents multiple stakeholder viewpoints
Including perspectives from all major stakeholders reflects thorough, balanced journalism.
Question 7: When reading a news report for the OSSLT, which question is LEAST useful for evaluating the article's reliability?
- Are sources named and verifiable?
- Does the article include quotes from multiple perspectives?
- Is the headline written in a large, bold font? (Correct answer)
- Is the publication date recent?
Correct answer: Is the headline written in a large, bold font?
Font size and style are design choices and have no bearing on the accuracy or reliability of a news report.
OSSLT Interpreting News Reports 4
A news article's subheading reads: 'Local hospital faces staff shortages amid funding cuts.' The subheading's main purpose is to: