I85PREP
⌘ K
NCEA Level 2 Media Studies study materials
NCEA Level 2 Media Studies study resources

NCEA Level 2 Media Studies practice questions

One question at a time. Build your NCEA Level 2 Media Studies understanding.

First 50 of 200 questions. Each one lists the choices, the correct answer, and an explanation. The checker at the top of this page saves progress in this browser when it is available.

Continue in the practice tool above to load more questions, 50 at a time.

Question 1Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

In media studies, what does the term 'denotation' refer to when analysing a media text?

  1. The emotional response an audience has to a text
  2. The commercial value of a media product
  3. The literal, descriptive meaning of a sign or image Correct answer.
  4. The hidden ideological message a producer intends

Explanation

Denotation is the literal or surface-level meaning of a sign - what is plainly shown or said. It is usually contrasted with connotation, which covers the associated or implied meanings that audiences read into the same sign. Analysts separate the two so that description is not confused with interpretation.

Question 2Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

A magazine cover shows a politician lit from below with a shadowed face. In semiotic terms, the lighting mainly works at which level?

  1. Anchorage, because a caption fixes the meaning
  2. Connotation, because the lighting suggests menace or distrust Correct answer.
  3. Denotation, because lighting is a technical fact
  4. Genre, because lighting signals the magazine type

Explanation

Lighting is a technical code, but its communicative effect here is connotative: harsh under-lighting carries cultural associations of threat or villainy. Denotation would only record that a light source was below the subject. The suggested meaning depends on shared cultural codes rather than on the physical fact of the lighting.

Question 3Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

Which term describes the group a media producer specifically designs a text to reach?

  1. The active audience
  2. The secondary audience
  3. The mass audience
  4. The target audience Correct answer.

Explanation

The target audience is the specific demographic or psychographic group a producer aims a text at, shaping its content, style and scheduling. 'Mass audience' is a broad undifferentiated group, and 'active audience' describes how audiences interpret texts rather than who is aimed at. Secondary audiences are reached incidentally alongside the primary target.

Question 4Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

A streaming service commissions a teen drama and schedules it for release at 4pm on weekdays. Which audience concept best explains this scheduling decision?

  1. Audience fragmentation caused by niche channels
  2. The hypodermic syringe model of direct effects
  3. Uses and gratifications theory predicting escape
  4. Targeting of an audience by daily routine and availability Correct answer.

Explanation

Scheduling decisions are commonly based on when a target group is likely to be available and in the right frame of mind to watch. The 4pm weekday slot fits an after-school routine for teenage viewers. This is an industry application of audience research rather than a theory of media effects.

Question 5Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

What is meant by 'media convergence'?

  1. The decline of public broadcasting in favour of commercial networks
  2. The merging of previously separate media technologies, industries and content into digital platforms Correct answer.
  3. The process by which audiences stop consuming news altogether
  4. The regulation of media ownership by a government authority

Explanation

Convergence describes the blurring of once-separate media forms as digital technology allows text, audio and video to be distributed on shared platforms. It operates at technological, industrial and content levels simultaneously. It is a structural change in how media is produced and consumed, not a regulatory or audience-decline concept.

Question 6Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

A newspaper's owner also holds a large share of a national television network. Which concept does this situation best illustrate?

  1. Media concentration of ownership Correct answer.
  2. Technological determinism
  3. Public service broadcasting
  4. Audience fragmentation

Explanation

Concentration of ownership occurs when a small number of companies control a large share of media outlets across platforms. This can raise concerns about diversity of voices and editorial independence. It differs from public service broadcasting, which is publicly funded and accountable to audiences.

Question 7Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

Which of these best describes the purpose of a media text's 'preferred reading'?

  1. The reading that requires the most technical knowledge
  2. The meaning the producer intends audiences to take from the text Correct answer.
  3. The interpretation produced by a hostile critic
  4. The meaning that dominant cultural groups reject

Explanation

The preferred reading is the meaning encoded by the producer through choices of language, image and structure. It is the interpretation the text is designed to encourage, though audiences may negotiate or oppose it. The concept comes from reception theory, which distinguishes intended from actual readings.

Question 8Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

An audience watches a documentary and accepts its argument without questioning the evidence. In reception theory this is best described as which reading?

  1. A dominant (preferred) reading Correct answer.
  2. An oppositional reading
  3. An aberrant reading
  4. A negotiated reading

Explanation

A dominant or preferred reading occurs when the audience accepts the text's encoded meaning and its ideological position. A negotiated reading would accept some elements while resisting others, and an oppositional reading would reject the intended meaning. Full acceptance of the argument matches the dominant reading.

Question 9Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

Which camera technique is most associated with creating a sense of intimacy with a character?

  1. An extreme long shot
  2. A close-up Correct answer.
  3. A high-angle wide shot
  4. A tracking shot of a landscape

Explanation

A close-up fills the frame with a character's face, reducing distance and inviting the audience to read emotion and identify with them. Extreme long shots and landscape tracking shots emphasise setting and scale instead. High angles can suggest vulnerability but do not by themselves create intimacy.

Question 10Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

A director shoots a tense confrontation using a handheld camera with frequent reframing. What is the most likely intended effect?

  1. To convey instability and unease Correct answer.
  2. To create a calm, observational distance
  3. To signal the documentary genre definitively
  4. To make the scene appear more expensive

Explanation

Handheld movement and constant reframing produce visual instability that audiences read as tension, uncertainty or chaos. The technique is a formal choice supporting the emotional register of the scene. It does not automatically establish genre or production budget.

Question 11Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

In film editing, what is a 'match cut'?

  1. A cut that links two shots through a visual or thematic similarity Correct answer.
  2. A cut that repeats the same shot twice
  3. A cut that removes all dialogue from a scene
  4. A cut that deliberately breaks continuity to confuse the viewer

Explanation

A match cut joins two shots by connecting a visual or conceptual element, such as a similar shape or action, creating a smooth or meaningful transition. It relies on the audience recognising the correspondence between shots. It is a continuity and meaning-making device rather than an error or repetition.

Question 12Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

A scene shows a character opening a door, then cuts to the same character already inside the room. Which editing term describes this?

  1. An ellipsis Correct answer.
  2. Cross-cutting
  3. A dissolve
  4. Montage

Explanation

An ellipsis omits a portion of time or action, letting the audience infer what happened between shots. Here the movement through the doorway is skipped. Cross-cutting alternates between simultaneous actions, and a dissolve blends two shots rather than skipping time.

Question 13Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

Which sound term describes music that exists within the world of the film, such as a radio playing in a character's kitchen?

  1. Non-diegetic sound
  2. Foley sound
  3. Diegetic sound Correct answer.
  4. Voice-over narration

Explanation

Diegetic sound has its source within the narrative world, so characters can hear it. A radio in the scene is a classic example. Non-diegetic sound, such as a soundtrack score, sits outside the story world and is heard only by the audience.

Question 14Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

A documentary uses slow, minor-key piano music under footage of a flooded town. What is the music's main function?

  1. To shape the audience's emotional response to the images Correct answer.
  2. To anchor the footage as comedy
  3. To replace the need for narration
  4. To provide diegetic realism

Explanation

Non-diegetic music is a powerful emotional cue, guiding how audiences feel about what they see. Minor-key slow piano encourages sadness and sympathy. The music does not make the footage comic, nor is it part of the scene's realistic sound world.

Question 15Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

What does 'mise-en-scène' refer to in media analysis?

  1. Everything placed within the frame, including setting, costume, lighting and performance Correct answer.
  2. The marketing campaign surrounding a release
  3. The sequence in which shots are edited together
  4. The soundtrack and dialogue of a scene

Explanation

Mise-en-scène literally means 'putting into the scene' and covers all the visual elements arranged within the frame. It includes set design, props, costume, makeup, lighting and actor positioning. Editing and sound are separate analytical categories.

Question 16Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

A teen character is dressed in a faded band T-shirt, ripped jeans and scuffed boots in a bedroom covered in posters. Which mise-en-scène element most strongly communicates their subcultural identity?

  1. The choice of costume and set dressing Correct answer.
  2. The volume of the dialogue
  3. The aspect ratio of the frame
  4. The speed of the editing

Explanation

Costume and set dressing are deliberate mise-en-scène choices that signal character identity, taste and social group. The band shirt and posters communicate subcultural affiliation directly to the audience. Aspect ratio, editing pace and dialogue volume do not carry this specific identity information.

Question 17Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

Which term describes the practice of media organisations selecting which events become news?

  1. Agenda-setting
  2. Intertextuality
  3. Gatekeeping Correct answer.
  4. Anchorage

Explanation

Gatekeeping is the process by which editors and journalists decide which stories pass through to publication. Agenda-setting is the related but distinct effect whereby media influence what audiences think is important. Anchorage and intertextuality belong to textual analysis, not news selection.

Question 18Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

A news bulletin leads with a celebrity story rather than a parliamentary report. Which news value best explains the choice?

  1. Threshold
  2. Proximity
  3. Elite persons Correct answer.
  4. Consonance

Explanation

News values explain why some stories are judged more newsworthy than others. Stories about prominent individuals score highly on the 'elite persons' value, increasing their appeal. Proximity concerns geographical closeness, threshold concerns scale, and consonance concerns fit with expectations.

Question 19Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

What is the main purpose of a public service broadcaster such as a nationally funded television network?

  1. To maximise shareholder profit through advertising
  2. To compete only with subscription streaming services
  3. To promote the governing political party
  4. To provide diverse, accessible programming in the public interest Correct answer.

Explanation

Public service broadcasters are funded to serve the public rather than shareholders, with obligations around diversity, education and accessibility. Their remit typically includes news, culture and content for minority audiences. They are expected to remain independent of party politics.

Question 20Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

Which of these is the clearest example of an audience acting as 'prosumer'?

  1. A listener tuning a radio to a music station
  2. A viewer watching a broadcast without responding
  3. A fan editing clips into a tribute video and posting it online Correct answer.
  4. A reader buying a newspaper at a shop

Explanation

A prosumer both consumes and produces media, often by remixing existing content for online platforms. Editing and republishing a tribute video demonstrates this dual role. Passive viewing, purchasing and tuning in are consumption activities without production.

Question 21Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

What does 'representation' mean in media studies?

  1. The number of viewers a programme attracts
  2. The technical process of recording sound
  3. The legal right to broadcast a programme
  4. The way media texts construct and portray groups, places and ideas Correct answer.

Explanation

Representation is about how media construct versions of reality through selection and mediation, shaping how groups and issues are understood. It involves choices about who is shown, how and in what context. It is not a legal, technical or ratings concept.

Question 22Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

A news report describes a protest as a 'mob rampage' while another outlet calls it a 'peaceful demonstration'. What does this comparison best illustrate?

  1. The objective reporting of facts by both outlets
  2. The technical constraints of broadcast news
  3. The influence of audience ratings on scheduling
  4. How word choice constructs a particular representation of the same event Correct answer.

Explanation

Word choice is a linguistic code that frames an event and positions the audience towards it. The two labels construct very different representations of the same action. This shows representation is selective and mediated rather than a neutral reflection of reality.

Question 23Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

In representation analysis, what is meant by a 'stereotype'?

  1. A statistical measure of audience demographics
  2. A genre convention for structuring plots
  3. A simplified, generalised and often repeated characterisation of a group Correct answer.
  4. A detailed, individualised portrait of a social group

Explanation

Stereotypes reduce a group to a few exaggerated and repeated characteristics, often flattening individual difference. They are a form of representation that can reinforce assumptions. They are not detailed portraits, audience statistics or plot structures.

Question 24Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

A public health campaign uses a well-known athlete to endorse vaccination. Which persuasive technique is being used?

  1. Celebrity endorsement Correct answer.
  2. Plain folks appeal
  3. Fear appeal
  4. Bandwagon appeal

Explanation

Celebrity endorsement borrows the credibility and popularity of a famous figure to make a message more persuasive. The audience's positive feelings towards the athlete are transferred to the product or behaviour. Bandwagon and fear appeals rely on different psychological mechanisms.

Question 25Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

An advertisement shows a family laughing around a dinner table to sell a budget supermarket's products. Which persuasive strategy is primarily at work?

  1. Transferring warm emotional associations onto the brand Correct answer.
  2. Comparing prices with named competitors
  3. Providing detailed nutritional information
  4. Citing independent scientific research

Explanation

Emotional association links a product to positive feelings such as family warmth and belonging, so buying the brand feels like buying the feeling. The technique works through connotation rather than factual claims. Nutritional detail, research citations and price comparison are informational strategies.

Question 26Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

In media studies, what does the term 'genre' most precisely refer to?

  1. The legal contract between a broadcaster and an advertiser
  2. The technical crew responsible for operating broadcast equipment
  3. The total budget allocated to producing a media text
  4. A set of conventions and expectations shared by media texts and audiences Correct answer.

Explanation

Genre is a system of shared conventions, codes and expectations that allows texts to be grouped and recognised, and that shapes how audiences read them. It is not a production budget, a crew list, or a commercial contract, though industries may use genre labels to market texts.

Question 27Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

A streaming platform's algorithm recommends programmes based on what a viewer previously watched. Which audience model does this most directly illustrate?

  1. The uses and gratifications model Correct answer.
  2. The encoding/decoding model
  3. The two-step flow model
  4. The hypodermic syringe model

Explanation

Uses and gratifications treats audiences as active, choosing media to meet needs such as entertainment, information or personal identity. Personalised recommendation systems respond to and reinforce those active choices. The hypodermic model assumes passive injection of messages, the two-step flow stresses opinion leaders, and encoding/decoding concerns interpretation of a text.

Question 28Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

Which term describes the way a media text positions its audience to see events from a particular character's point of view?

  1. Narrative closure
  2. Focalisation Correct answer.
  3. Diegetic sound
  4. Intertextuality

Explanation

Focalisation describes whose perspective filters the narrative, shaping what the audience knows and feels. Narrative closure concerns how a story resolves, diegetic sound concerns sound originating in the story world, and intertextuality concerns references to other texts.

Question 29Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

A current affairs programme broadcasts a politician's speech but cuts away to audience members shaking their heads. What analytic concept best describes the effect of this editing choice?

  1. Diegetic sound design used to create realism
  2. Establishing shot conventions used to orient the viewer in space
  3. Anchoring the image through juxtaposition to shape audience response Correct answer.
  4. Continuity editing used to hide the construction of the sequence

Explanation

Juxtaposing a speech with reaction shots works like anchoring, guiding how the audience should read the speaker's words. The cut makes a judgement visible even though no commentary is spoken. Continuity editing aims to hide construction, whereas this choice deliberately foregrounds a reaction.

Question 30Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

Which of these best describes the role of the New Zealand Media Council?

  1. It administers a voluntary complaints process for published media Correct answer.
  2. It allocates broadcast frequencies to private stations
  3. It writes and enforces criminal law against journalists
  4. It funds public interest journalism through grants

Explanation

The Media Council operates a voluntary self-regulatory complaints system based on a published set of principles covering accuracy, fairness and privacy. It is not a court, a frequency regulator, or a funding body. Its decisions carry moral rather than legal force.

Question 31Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

A media student argues that a text's meaning is produced 'at the point of reception'. Which theoretical position does this reflect?

  1. Audience reception theory Correct answer.
  2. Marxist political economy
  3. Semiotic determinism
  4. Auteur theory

Explanation

Reception theory holds that meaning is negotiated by audiences rather than fixed entirely by the text or its producer. Different audiences may produce different readings from the same material. Auteur theory concerns authorship, political economy concerns ownership and power, and semiotic determinism would fix meaning in the signs themselves.

Question 32Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

Which term describes the process by which a media text's meaning is fixed and limited by surrounding words, captions or commentary?

  1. Anchorage Correct answer.
  2. Verisimilitude
  3. Bricolage
  4. Pastiche

Explanation

Anchorage, a concept from semiotics, describes how accompanying text or speech pins down which of an image's possible meanings an audience should take. Bricolage and pastiche concern mixing styles and references, while verisimilitude concerns the appearance of realism.

Question 33Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

A broadcaster owns the production company that makes its most popular drama series. Which concept does this arrangement most clearly illustrate?

  1. Public service remit
  2. Horizontal integration
  3. Vertical integration Correct answer.
  4. Format franchising

Explanation

Vertical integration occurs when one company controls different stages of the same supply chain, such as production and broadcast distribution. Horizontal integration would involve merging with another broadcaster at the same level. Format franchising and public service remits describe different arrangements entirely.

Question 34Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

What does the term 'gatekeeping' describe in news production?

  1. The encryption of sources used by investigative journalists
  2. The practice of paying interviewees for their stories
  3. The process by which editors decide which stories reach the public Correct answer.
  4. The layout of a newspaper's front page

Explanation

Gatekeeping refers to the filtering decisions made by editors and journalists about which events are selected, shaped and published as news. It is a key concept in understanding how news agendas are constructed. Encryption, payment practices and page layout are separate matters.

Question 35Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

A newsroom decides not to run a story about a local factory closure because the owner is a major advertiser. Which concept does this most directly illustrate?

  1. Agenda setting
  2. Citizen journalism
  3. Agenda building by pressure groups
  4. Commercial influence on news values Correct answer.

Explanation

When commercial relationships with advertisers shape editorial decisions, news values are being influenced by economic interests. Agenda setting describes the media's influence on what the public thinks about, not the advertiser's influence on the newsroom. Citizen journalism and agenda building by pressure groups involve different actors.

Question 36Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

Which statement best describes the function of a media text's target audience in the production process?

  1. It guides decisions about content, style and distribution Correct answer.
  2. It replaces the need for market research
  3. It is decided only after a text has been released
  4. It determines the exact ticket price charged at cinemas

Explanation

Identifying a target audience shapes choices about genre, language, casting, scheduling and platforms so the text reaches the intended group. It does not set ticket prices, replace research, or emerge only after release; it is a planning concept used throughout production and marketing.

Question 37Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

A film uses a wide shot to show a lone figure in a vast empty landscape. Which reading is most consistent with established visual conventions?

  1. The character is physically powerful and dominant
  2. The character is isolated and vulnerable Correct answer.
  3. The character is humorous and carefree
  4. The character is socially connected and secure

Explanation

In established visual conventions, a small figure dwarfed by a vast landscape commonly connotes isolation, insignificance or vulnerability. The scale relationship between figure and environment is the key cue. The other readings would usually require different framing, lighting or performance cues.

Question 38Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

What is the primary function of a style guide in a media organisation?

  1. To record the ratings achieved by each programme
  2. To determine the advertising rates for each slot
  3. To ensure consistent spelling, grammar and terminology across output Correct answer.
  4. To rank journalists according to seniority

Explanation

A style guide standardises language choices such as spelling, capitalisation and preferred terminology so that output is consistent and recognisable. It is an editorial tool, not a staffing hierarchy, pricing schedule or ratings record.

Question 39Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

A documentary reconstructs events using actors and dramatic music while presenting itself as factual. Which concept does this raise most directly?

  1. Diegetic sound and its realism effect
  2. Verisimilitude and the construction of truth claims Correct answer.
  3. Auteur signature in animation
  4. Genre hybridity in comedy

Explanation

Reconstruction and dramatic music create verisimilitude, an appearance of truth, while raising questions about how factual claims are constructed and evidenced. Audiences may read re-enactment as evidence unless conventions signal otherwise. The other options name concepts that do not address truth claims in documentary.

Question 40Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

Which concept explains why the same news photograph can be read differently by audiences with different cultural knowledge?

  1. Convergence
  2. Monopoly
  3. Polysemy Correct answer.
  4. Synergy

Explanation

Polysemy describes the capacity of a media text to carry multiple meanings, which audiences interpret using their own cultural knowledge and experience. Monopoly, synergy and convergence are industry terms concerning ownership, cross-promotion and technological merging.

Question 41Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

What does 'media convergence' most commonly refer to?

  1. The merging of previously separate media technologies and platforms Correct answer.
  2. The decline of advertising revenue across all media
  3. The standardisation of news values worldwide
  4. The regulation of broadcast content by a single authority

Explanation

Convergence describes the blurring of boundaries between media forms, such as newspapers producing video, phones delivering television, and platforms hosting text, audio and image. It is a technological and industrial process rather than a revenue trend, a values claim or a regulatory arrangement.

Question 42Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

An advertiser pays for a product to appear in a television programme's script rather than in a separate commercial break. What is this practice called?

  1. Public relations
  2. Direct response advertising
  3. Product placement Correct answer.
  4. Sponsorship idents

Explanation

Product placement integrates a brand into the content itself, so audiences encounter it within the narrative rather than in a discrete advertisement. Sponsorship idents credit a sponsor around a programme, public relations manages reputation, and direct response advertising seeks immediate audience action.

Question 43Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

A brand runs a campaign inviting audiences to submit their own videos using its hashtag. Which concept best describes this strategy?

  1. Scheduling and flow
  2. Public service broadcasting
  3. User-generated content as promotional labour Correct answer.
  4. Investigative journalism

Explanation

Inviting audiences to create and share branded content turns consumers into producers whose labour promotes the brand across networks. This is often analysed as user-generated content harnessed for promotional purposes. Public service broadcasting, investigative journalism and scheduling are unrelated to this strategy.

Question 44Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

Which of these is the strongest example of a media text being shaped by its platform of distribution?

  1. A publisher printing a hardback novel
  2. A drama series produced for cinema release in widescreen
  3. A radio station broadcasting a live sports commentary
  4. A news outlet publishing vertical short videos designed for mobile feeds Correct answer.

Explanation

Vertical short video made for mobile feeds shows platform constraints directly shaping format, duration and framing. The other examples describe media in relatively established formats without the same visible adaptation to a platform's specific affordances. Analysing platform shaping requires identifying how distribution conditions change the text itself.

Question 45Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

What does the term 'hegemony' help media analysts explain?

  1. How audiences measure their own screen time
  2. How dominant groups secure consent to their values through cultural institutions Correct answer.
  3. How producers calculate production budgets
  4. How satellites transmit signals across national borders

Explanation

Hegemony describes how ruling groups maintain power by winning consent, partly through cultural institutions such as media that normalise particular values and worldviews. It is not a technical transmission concept, an audience measurement practice or a budgeting method.

Question 46Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

A character in a drama is shown only through high-angle shots, dim lighting and a cramped apartment. Which analytical claim is best supported by these choices?

  1. The text establishes that the character is a comic figure
  2. The text signals that the character is the narrator
  3. The text presents the character as wealthy and powerful
  4. The text constructs the character as vulnerable and diminished Correct answer.

Explanation

High angles conventionally reduce a subject's apparent power, and dim lighting with cramped space reinforces a sense of constraint and vulnerability. These visual choices combine to position the audience sympathetically and to signal low status. Wealth, narration and comedy would require different cues.

Question 47Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

Which statement best explains why media representations are never simply 'reflections' of reality?

  1. They are created without any input from audiences
  2. They are determined entirely by the technology used to record them
  3. They are produced through selection, omission and framing by people with particular perspectives Correct answer.
  4. They are always fictional and have no relationship to real events

Explanation

Representations are constructed through choices about what to include, exclude and emphasise, made by producers working within particular institutions and assumptions. This is why media studies analyses representation as a process rather than a mirror. The other options overstate fiction, ignore audiences or reduce media to technology.

Question 48Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

What is the main purpose of a media text's marketing campaign?

  1. To determine the text's genre classification
  2. To guarantee critical acclaim
  3. To build audience awareness and anticipation before release Correct answer.
  4. To replace the text's narrative structure

Explanation

Marketing aims to create awareness, interest and anticipation among the target audience, often through trailers, posters and social media. It does not replace narrative structure, decide genre, or guarantee reviews. It works alongside the text rather than substituting for it.

Question 49Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

A public health advertisement shows distressing images of hospital patients and ends with a helpline number. Which combination of persuasive strategies is being used?

  1. Fear appeal combined with a call to action Correct answer.
  2. Nostalgia combined with product placement
  3. Humour combined with celebrity endorsement
  4. Bandwagon appeal combined with product comparison

Explanation

Distressing imagery is a fear appeal designed to motivate behaviour change, while the helpline number provides a specific call to action so audiences know what to do. Humour, celebrity, nostalgia, product placement and bandwagon appeals are not evident in this description.

Question 50Media Studies (content domain unspecified in source)

Which of these best explains the concept of media 'effects' research?

  1. The study of how media companies calculate their profits
  2. The study of how cameras record images technically
  3. The study of how genres are classified by critics
  4. The study of how exposure to media may influence audience attitudes and behaviour Correct answer.

Explanation

Effects research investigates whether and how media exposure influences beliefs, attitudes and actions, often through experiments and longitudinal studies. It is distinct from industry economics, camera technology and genre criticism, though findings may inform debates about regulation and responsibility.