Journalism 250
Which of these statements about Peirce's Theory of Signs is false?
Because of their cultural specificity, symbols are naturally recognized and understood; they do not need to be taught.
Which of the following is NOT one of the key tenets of visual literacy?
Factoring in the skill and experience of the creator of a visual message.
Colors evoke very specific emotional reactions which are universal, and shared by everyone who sees them.
False
Documentaries were orignally intended to be unbiased neutral reports on a topic, but over the years they have become more persuasive and prone to advocacy.
False
Which of statements about the persuasive power of advertising is false?
For an advertisement to be visually persuasive, it is not necessary for the sponsor to be readily identifiable
Which of these statements about legendary political cartoonist Paul Conrad is false?
He spent most of his career with the New York Times
The convergence of the Internet and television has resulted in all of the following except:
Higher-quality television programming.
Which of these statements about serif and sans-serif typefaces is false?
Most designers prefer to use serif typefaces for large blocks of text posted online
Which of these statements about graphic design is false?
Proportion and emphasis are two key elements of design
Which of these statements about illustrations is false?
Publications send artists to create courtroom sketches as an aesthetic alternative to photographs, which are sometimes considered too conventional.
All four elements of vision come into play in every visual message we see, including the element of movement in a still image.
True
Editorialists, including print and website editors, photo editors and political cartoonists must carefully consider the potential public perceptions of their visuals choices - especially when the images are combined with text in narrative form.
True
In Roland Barthes' "chain of associations," the ability to encode and decode messages is key to visual literacy.
True
Juxtaposition, or the framing of seemingly incongruous subjects or moments within a photographic image, is a form of visual syntax.
True
An editor's decision to publish a photograph of a small child who had been killed in a seemingly avoidable accident could be justified under the __________________________ ethical philosophy.
Utilitarian
Which of these statements about visual puns is false?
Visual puns create the sense of place, situation, or context in which the characters are placed in the cartoon.
In Ferdinand de Saussure's "theory of the sign," which of these words best describes the interpretation of the signifier?
arbitrary
Raising money for independent projects such as films and documentaries on social media sites is most commonly known as _______________________________.
crowdfunding
In the digital age, with fewer newspapers in existence, more cartoonists are finding opportunities to earn a living by having their work syndicated online.
false
The computer technology needed to create custom illustrations and animated, interactive infographics is still too sophisticated for the average consumer, so specialists are hired to produce the interactive infographics for news organizations and other web-based entities.
false
Typefaces in which the space a character takes up is dependent on the natural width of that character are known as "monospace."
false
Which of these forms of information graphic would be most useful in communicating information on how to perform a simple task?
flow chart
Which of the following is NOT considered one of the three main areas of graphic design?
foundations of design
Which of these is NOT one among six corporations identified by radicalprofeminist.com as those who collectively control most of the news and entertainment mass media?
An effective technique used by most editorial cartoonists, _____create the analogic situation or context into which the subjects are placed.
humorous allusions
The process by which ideological systems call out to social subjects and tell them their place in the system is known as:
interpellation
Extending or condensing the amount of white space between letters is known as _________________________.
kerning
Media images that convey misinformed perceptions presented as though they are established facts are known as ______
pictorial stereotypes
The principle of design based on the idea that larger elements have a more dominant visual impact than smaller ones, is called ______________________.
proportion
The Gestalt Law of _____________________ says that elements which are grouped closely together will be perceived as belonging to the same group.
proximity
Displacement involves changing the meaning of a sign by using it in a new and different way. This is known as ____
recontextualization
The information graphic used to show significant changes in two or more specific items during a particular time period, useful for tracking economic trends or political campaigns is called a _______________________.
relational chart
William Messer used the term ____ to explain that while a photographer is presumed not to interfere with an actual event, he/she is free to impose his/her understandings of and feelings about the event, and the viewer's engagement with these images usually involves a conscious interaction with the photographer's sensibility.
responsive photography
______ poke fun at hypocrisies, foibles, idiosyncrosies and folly, often employing the very stereotypes they are in fact exposing with their humor.
satirists
The strength, intensity, or purity of a color is determined by its ______________________.
saturation
The _____theory states that advertisers align the personality of their brands with the perceived personality of their consumers.
self-congruity
Moving from one device to another to achieve a specific goal is referred to as: _____
sequential screening
The ____ theory of technology is defined as the point in time when, as a result of an exponential acceleration of technological breakthroughs, computer intelligence melds with, and even exceeds human intelligence.
singularity
Multiscreening commonly involves the use of more than one device being used simultaneously. The most frequent combination is:
smartphone and television
The relationship between positive and negative space, which has a strong influence on how a design is perceived, is called _______
spatiality
According to Stuart Ewen's theory of functionalism and corporate identity, as it pertains to the use of logos to graphically represent a corporation, even though a trademark of product design may express the personality of a given corporation, the designs bear no visible trace of human intervention. Ewen calls this a(n)
technology of representation
Which element of design can be described as being used to highlight necessary or key elements, to add the mood, feeling and give the illusion of a "surface" to a flat, two-dimensional design
texture
The binocular visual field gives us all but which of the following?
180-degree peripheral vision
Which of these statements concerning Gregory's "top-down" processing theory is true?
A constructive process, top-down processing is an "indirect" form of perception, and relies on prior knowledge and past experience.
Which of these statements about Gestalt theory is false?
Applying Gestalt theories to visual messages in the media is always a conscious, intentional act.
Which of these statements about gender and sexual orientation media stereotypes is false?
Artist Cindy Sherman's Untitled Film Stills, 1977-1980, a series of self-portraits parodying the stereotypical role of women in movies, unwittingly fed into the notion of the "male gaze" and the objectification of women in the media.
Which of these statements about digital imaging and the Internet is false?
As of July 2013, more photographs were being posted daily on Instagram than on any other social media site.
Which of these famous editorial cartoonists worked for the United States Army's Stars and Stripes newspaper, and provided commentary on the condition of American soldiers during World War II?
Bill Mauldin
Which of these statements about issues of ownership in photojournalism is false?
Emotional pleas from family members are the most effective method of getting the media to agree to stop publishing images that may prolong hurtful or embarrassing memories.
Similar to writing, the symbols used in visual communication can be characterized as a 'fixed vocabulary.'
False
The stereotype that Millennials are more "tech-savvy" is not borne out by statistics that measure the use of social media and a willingness to explore new technologies.
False
Which of the following statements comparing single-panel cartoons to comic strips is false?
Garry Truedeau's Doonesbury established the four-panel cartoon strip as the standard.
Which of these would be an example of the recontextualization of a media stereotype?
Henry Louis Gates has written that the Tarantino movie Django subverts historical stereotypes through "postmodern modes of representation," and the manner in which "it presents the events it uses as emblematic of the larger, horrendous institution of slavery."
Which of these statements about propaganda is false?
In contemporary societies, people no longer believe that the manipulation of symbolic communication is an effective way to influence people.
Which of the following could NOT be considered a form of agency in which, according to Sturken and Cartwright, "viewers make meaning?"
Individuals are entitled to question how and why images are made
Beautification is one of Gowan's Four Functions of Art. According to information found in the eBook, which of these statements about beauty is false?
It can be said that there is one universal concept of beauty that supercedes cultural definitions or considerations.
_______ used photography to crusade against child labor in the early years of the 20th Century,
Lewis Hine
Which of these statements about early printing technologies is false?
Moveable type was widely used in China, because it was less expensive than "whole block" printing.
Which of these statements about the concept of "representation" is false?
Paintings and drawings cannot be analyzed with the same visual systems of representation as photographs, cinema and television.
Which of these statements about the use of visual satire in cartoons is false?
Satirical cartoons that make political commentary are relegated exclusively to the editorial and opinion sections of newspapers, magazines and websites.
In semiotic theory, which of these statements about signs is not true?
Signs and their potential meanings are limited in scope, according to the culture that produces them.
Which of these statements about graphic design history is false?
So-called "primitive" forms of graphic expression found on cave walls or the pottery of bygone civilizations can not be considered graphic design.
Which of these statements about the televised presidential debate between Kennedy and Nixon is false?
The 70 million television viewers amounted to just around half of people who ended up voting in the presidential election.
Which of these statements about the "Myth of Photographic Truth" is false?
The digital alteration of photojournalistic images to create a more dramatic effect can be rationalized by evoking the intentional use of the Myth of Photographic Truth.
Which of these statements about Form vs. Content is false?
The formal aspects of a visual message are the most significant contributor to the narrative.
Which of these statements concerning John Berger's theories on publicity and glamour is false?
The illusion of materialism being promulgated to an unsuspecting public, is according to Berger the antithesis of interpellation.
Which of these statements about the manipulation of photographic images is false?
The practice of altering photographs was not possible until the invention of digital processes.
The term "dopamine squirt" refers to:
The primitive impulse to respond to immediate opportunities and threats which provokes excitement, and which researchers say can be addictive.
Which of these statements about shock advertising is false?
The straw that finally broke the proverbial camel's back for the Benetton shock ad campaign and Oliviero Toscani was the use of a photograph depicting a man dying from AIDS.
Which of these statements about Gibson's "bottom-up" process of perception is false?
There is not enough information in our environment to make sense of the world in a direct way.
Which of these statements about "visual imperialism" is false?
Those involved in missionary and scientific work in colonial India and Africa resisted the political methods of using photography to perpetrate myths and stereotypes about the native populations.
Which of these statements about figure-ground is false?
When looking at a visual image that features strong figure-ground components, our brains instinctively attempt to read the "ground" as the dominant aspect.
Which of these statements about political (editorial) cartoons is false?
When political cartoons combine visual puns, caricature and humorous allusions all at once, the message becomes confusing and the effectiveness of the commentary is diminished.
Which of these statements about mobile (smart phone) photography is false?
When the Chicago Sun-Times fired their entire photography staff in May 2013, and declared that their reporters would receive training in iPhoneography, professionals and critics embraced this as a necessary phase in the evolution of photojournalism.
Which of these statements about multiplatforming and multiscreening is false?
While watching TV, the most popular activity for smartphone and tablet owners is online shopping
A photojournalist's decision to not take photographs of a family grieving over the loss of a child because of a concern that the informational value of the image would not outweigh the psychological harm it would do to those involved in the incident could be justified by citing the _____ ethical philosophy.
absolutist
The capacity or power to act or to make meaning on one's own behalf, relatively free of influence from social forces and the will of others is called ______
agency
Journalists who combine photography, video, audio and editing skills to produce one-person field reports are often referred to as __________________________________.
backpack journalists
is a form of visual satire in which the features or peculiarities of the subject are exaggerated, often to ludicrous extremes.
caricature
A block of text which is designed to appear symmetrically balanced underneath an image is called __________________.
centered
The kind of lighting that creates the feeling that the subject seems to emerge out of negative space is called _____________________ .
chiaroscuro lighting
describes the discomfort caused by the presence of two thoughts in conflict with one another, and leads individuals to reject information that does not support attitudes already held or decisions already made.
cognitive dissonance
Symbols representing ideas or concepts that were stylized, rotated and impressed in clay by the Sumerians were known as ________________________.
cuneiform
Photographers can create an illusion of depth by manipulating the aperture of the lens to affect the _____
depth of field
_____ lines are used by graphic designers to suggest a feeling of movement and direction, or to create an illusion of perspective.
diagonal
_________________________ typefaces include the most variation, and are considered unsuitable for body text and are usually reserved for headlines, short copy, or to evoke a certain mood or feeling.
display
Hypothetical situation: A longtime viewer of an MSNBC cable news program watches a report that is critical of the leader of the Republican Party. Rather than seek other viewpoints to balance the report, the viewer takes it at face value. This is an example of which of Stuart Hall's three types of "readings?"
dominant
Which cognitive process involves preconceived notions that affect perception?
expectation
Information graphics which not only reveal where a news story took place, but tell how a series of events happened are called ______________________.
explanatory maps
According to Peirce's Theory of Signs, signs that have a logical, common-sense connection to the thing or idea they represent, rather than a direct resemblance, are called icons.
false
Although the first true weather satellite was launched in 1960, for security purposes the National Weather Service did not start providing their satellite images to the media until 1965.
false
Cognitive processes involve the performance of some composite cognitive activity; meaningful connections between what people see and how they use those images arise when mental processing combines effectively with the mechanical processes of perception.
false
Dominant cultures are designated by having the most members in a society, and by having the most economic and political influence over the entire society.
false
Due to a lack of adherence to ethical, legal and professional standards, photography, video, and textbased citizen journalism reporting has been ineffective at bringing attention to issues of domestic and international concern.
false
In the 1960s, computers entered the graphic design world, but it wasn't until the 1990s that computers became the standard for graphic designers.
false
Which of the following is NOT one of the established four elements of vision?
light
It can be argued that the most important cognitive process linked to accurate visual perception is
memory
A ____ code is a collection of signs that causes the viewer to make assumptions and associations about what is seen.
metonymic
Most newspapers still use _____ typefaces in their mastheads.
old english
In a(n) _____ the consumer understands the literal meaning of a visual message, but forms their own interpretations-- which may be very different from what the producer intended-- based on personal experience and background. (Hint: two words)
oppositional reading
In Aldous Huxley's "Visual Communication Circle Dance," ________________ results from selection and leads to the creation of memory.
perception
Because of the time required for an image to fade from the cells of the retina, the cells of an animated feature, or the still frames of a movie overlap, creating the illusion of "apparent movement." This phenomenon is known as ____
persistence of vision
Movable type and the printing press democratized literacy. Perhaps the next great revolutionary technological development to come along was the ______ which along with laser and inkjet printers, made self-publishing available to the masses.
personal computer
Illusions that are created by the eye itself, rather than through the workings of the visual pathways of the brain, are called _______________________.
retinal illusions
Which of the following is not a factor in determining an individual's salience on a given subject?
stimulation
The method for describing color that is the most symbolic, affected by emotions and associations with past experiences is called the _____ method.
subjective
Light sensitive cells separates the reversed image in the retina into the four elements of vision, and sends them to the part of the brain responsible for basic perception. This process is called ______________________.
transduction
According to Stanford Professor Clifford Nass, evidence shows that when people are driving and talking on the phone or texting, that other task becomes the "primary task," the thing their brain focuses on.
true
According to Stuart Ewen, the representation and aestheticization of waste became marketing's most "ubiquitous and persistent" role beginning in the 1920's, when advertisers began to publicly define themselves as both "the destroyer and creator in the process of the ever-evolving new."
true
Besides pioneering the ubiquitous use of colorful information graphics in the 1980s, USA TODAY was also the first major newspaper to start regularly printing color photographs.
true
It's acceptable practice to publish a photograph that has been digitally altered on the cover of a magazine as long as it is described as a "photo illustration" in the caption or credits.
true
The first acknowledged political cartoons were created by Martin Luther during the Reformation in the early 1500's, as a way to use the new printing press to get his message out to the masses, largely illiterate peasants who had previously relied on Catholic Clergy for all access to the written word.
true
The first known use of information graphics by an advanced civilization took the form of maps drawn in Sumerian clay.
true
The idea that we organize experience according to several basic perceptual laws for the purpose of creating balance, simplicity, unity, or what photojournalist Henri Cartier-Bresson called "geometry," is known in Gestalt theory as prägnanz.
true
Typography is the art of selecting and arranging type, and also using type in various graphic designs to acheive specific effects.
true
Which principle of design facilitates interpretation and understanding by lending a sense of oneness to a visual image, helping all the elements of that visual function together?
unity
The principle stating that one sign or set of signs can take the place of some other sign or set of signs in a theoretically infinite process is called ____
unlimited semiosis
Documentary films which emphasize the more expressive properties of cinema such as color, light, texture, movement, editing and sound over narrative are in the category of _______________________.
visual poetry
In the visual culture theory of Art History professor Whitney Davis, ______ refers to the visual perspective from which certain culturally constituted aspects of artifacts and pictures are visible to informed viewers.
visuality
The information graphic that displays words and ideas in relative size based on the frequency of their appearance in text form is called a _______
word cloud
