Name: 
 

2003 North Carolina State Agricultural Communications Test


MultipleChoice
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers thequestion.
 

 1. 
Which of the following isprobably the single most important characteristic for professional agriculturalcommunications?
a.
Being a people person
b.
Public speaking skills
c.
Writing
d.
Having expertise in all areas of agriculture
 

 2. 
The first paragraph of a newsstory is called the _____.
a.
Lead
b.
Introduction
c.
Kicker
d.
Eye-opener
 

 3. 
Which of the following issuesis of great concern to consumers today?
a.
Agricultural chemical contamination oftheir food supply
b.
Agricultural chemical contamination ofdrinking water
c.
The use of genetically engineered materials in their foodsupply
d.
All of these are correct
 

 4. 

Which of the followingsentences is not punctuated correctly?
a.
Moser said “We believe in theprogram because we think it will help North Carolina farmers.”
b.
“We believe in the program because we think it will help North Carolinafarmers,” Moser said.
c.
“We believe in the program,”Moser said, “because we think it will help North Carolinafarmers.”
d.
All of the sentences are punctuatedcorrectly
 

 5. 

“Style rules” referto:
a.
Ways to make your writing more distinctive from otherwriters
b.
Techniques to add creativity to your writing
c.
Rules of capitalization, abbreviation and English usage.
d.
Both ways to make your writing more distinctive from other writers and techniques toadd creativity to your writing are correct.
 

 6. 

Why is it important to removeunneeded words in journalistic writing?
a.
Because space is often limited and thereis no room for unnecessary words
b.
Concise writing is easier for readers tounderstand
c.
Removing unneeded words is probably the most well-known rule of goodwriting
d.
All of these are correct
 

 7. 

Which of the followingstatements is true in comparing today’s farms and farmers with those from 25 yearsago?
a.
Today, farms are larger, and there are fewer farmers
b.
Today, farms are larger, and there are more farmers
c.
Today, farms are smaller, and there are fewer farmers
d.
Today, farms are smaller, and there are more farmers
 

 8. 

Why do agriculturalcommunicators include quotations and information from scientists and other experts in their newsstories?
a.
To give the stories more credibility
b.
So readers will know where the information came from
c.
Because this is standard practice in journalism
d.
All of these are correct
 

 9. 

When interviewing a source fora story, which of the following should you never do?
a.
Ask  source if it’s OK for you to use a taperecorder
b.
Ask the source to confirm the correct spelling of his or hername
c.
Ask the source whether it’s OK to call him or her later if youhave any other questions
d.
All of the these are acceptable practicesduring the interview
 

 10. 

Which of the following types of35-mm film would be best to use for shooting photos in low light situations without aflash?
a.
800 speed
b.
400 speed
c.
200 speed
d.
100 speed
 

 11. 

Why should agriculturalcommunicators try to avoid passive voice in their writing?
a.
Passive voice is usually less concise than active voice
b.
Passive voice often does not provide as much information as activevoice
c.
Both passive voice usually less concise than active voice and passivevoice often does not provide as much information as active voice arecorrect
d.
Agricultural communicators should not try to avoid passive voice intheir writing
 

 12. 

Which of the followingsentences contains a common spelling error?
a.
The school principal said she would try toaccommodate all of the students’ requests.
b.
The advisor complemented Sarah on her excellent test scores.
c.
Both “The school principal said she would try to accommodate all of thestudents’ request” and “The adviser complemented Sarah on her excellent testscores” contain at least one spelling error.
d.
Neither “The school principal said she would try to accommodate all of thestudents’ requests” and “The adviser complemented Sarah on her excellent testscores” contains a spelling error.
 

 13. 

The best reason to avoid sexistlanguage in professional writing is that:
a.
It often is factually incorrect because itdoes not include women
b.
It is grammaticallyincorrect
c.
Sexist language is not concise
d.
None of these are correct
 

 14. 

Which of the followingsentences is incorrect as written (Hint: may contain a dangling modifier)?
a.
Watching from the upstairs window, she could see the parade on the adjacentstreet.
b.
After reviewing all of the applications, Tom was selected to receivethe agricultural scholarship.
c.
Pleased with the students’ highgrades on the exam, the instructor dismissed class early.
d.
All of the sentences are incorrect as written.
 

 15. 

Which of the followingsentences is incorrect as written (Hint: may contain a pronoun error)?
a.
Would you like to ride to the state convention with Bob andI?
b.
Neither Tom nor she could find a copy of the club’sconstitution.
c.
Both Mary and I arrived at the meetingearly.
d.
All of the sentences are incorrect aswritten.
 

 16. 

Which of the following is themost important source of general agricultural information for most farmers today?
a.
Television
c.
The Internet and World Wide Web
b.
Farm Magazines
d.
Farm Shows and Fairs
 

 17. 

Which of the followingstatements is true?
a.
Nearly all farmers own a computer and useit to send and receive email and access the Internet daily.
b.
Communications experts believe that computers will take the place of farm magazines inthe next five years.
c.
Most full-time farmers receiveseveral  farm magazines.
d.
All of the these arecorrect.
 

 18. 

Agricultural communicators canlose credibility with farm and non-farm audiences by:
a.
Misspelling people’s names
b.
Providing incorrect or outdated information
c.
Failing to report on issues that are interesting and relevant to theiraudiences.
d.
All of these are correct
 

 19. 

Which of the following isnot a characteristic of the inverted pyramid style of news writing?
a.
Attracting the reader’s attention early in the story
b.
Placing the most important fact or facts in the first paragraph of thestory
c.
Saving at least one important fact for the last paragraph to provide astrong ending
d.
Using quotes from interviewed sources early in thestory
 

 20. 

In which of the followingperiods did agricultural journalism begin in the United States?
a.
Early 1700s
b.
Early 1800s
c.
Early1900s
d.
Mid-1900s
 

 21. 

Which of the followingsentences contains sexist language or usage?
a.
Successful farmers today have to be goodbusinessmen.
b.
Mankind has always depended on agriculture.
c.
A good farm manager always takes care of his equipment.
d.
All of the these contain sexist language or usage.
 

 22. 

The first agriculturalperiodical was entitled:
a.
SouthernAgriculturalists
c.
New Jersey Gazette
b.
ProgressiveFarmer
d.
American Farmer
 

 23. 

Which of the following skillsand abilities are important for farm broadcasters?
a.
Ability to speak understandably and with ease
b.
Skill in operating radio and television equipment
c.
Knowledge of agriculture
d.
All of these arecorrect
 

 24. 

Farm magazines today generatemost of their income from:
a.
Readersubscriptions
b.
Advertising
c.
Fees paid by public relationscompanies
d.
Both advertising and fees paid by public relations companies arecorrect
 

 25. 

A person with a college degreein agricultural communications might be likely to do which of the following:
a.
Work at an advertising agency or public relations firm
b.
Work in corporate  communications for an agribusiness
c.
Work in a communications department for a government agency
d.
All of these are correct
 



 
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