Unit 6: Media Literacy — Practice Quiz (AS Learning)

Question 1

In Ontario's Media Literacy framework, the principle that "media texts are constructions" means:

Media texts simply mirror reality
Media texts are deliberately built — through choices about what to include, exclude, frame, and emphasise — and therefore present a version of reality
Media texts cannot be analysed
Media texts are always true

Solution: Constructedness is the foundational principle. Every media text reflects creator choices: what is shown, who speaks, what is omitted, how cameras frame, what music plays. Critical viewers ask "what choices were made and why?"

Question 2

A "low-angle shot" in film typically:

Makes the subject look smaller and weaker
Makes the subject look powerful, dominant, or imposing — viewer is positioned looking up
Has no effect
Is always used for comedy

Solution: Camera angles encode power: low angle (camera below subject) elevates the subject; high angle (camera above) diminishes. Eye-level normalises. These choices are part of "media language."

Question 3

"Codes and conventions" of a media form refer to:

Computer programming languages
The rules and recurring features that audiences expect (e.g., the inverted pyramid in news writing, the establishing shot in film, the headline + lede + nut graf structure)
Random choices
Government censorship

Solution: Codes and conventions = the genre-specific rules that producers use and audiences interpret. Knowing them lets you read media texts critically — and break them deliberately.

Question 4

"Lateral reading" (a technique studied by the Stanford History Education Group) is:

Reading the same article twice
Opening multiple tabs to see what other independent sources say about the source you are evaluating, rather than judging it from its own self-presentation
Reading at an angle
Skimming headlines only

Solution: Professional fact-checkers don't trust a website to tell the truth about itself; they "read laterally" by checking what others (Wikipedia, library databases, established outlets) say about the source.

Question 5

The acronym SIFT for source evaluation stands for:

Sit, Inspect, Fix, Try
Stop, Investigate the source, Find better coverage, Trace claims to the original context
Search, Index, File, Track
Send, Inform, Forward, Tag

Solution: Mike Caulfield's SIFT method — Stop, Investigate the source, Find better coverage, Trace claims/quotes/media to original context — is now widely used in media-literacy curricula.

Question 6

A news headline reads: "Rebels storm the capital." A different outlet reports: "Freedom fighters reach the capital."

The choice between "rebels" and "freedom fighters" is an example of:

Identical wording
Framing through diction (loaded language) — the same event encoded with different connotations to shape reader sympathy
A typo
Random word choice

Solution: Diction encodes framing. "Rebels" connotes lawlessness; "freedom fighters" connotes liberation. The choice signals whose perspective the outlet is foregrounding.

Question 7

A laundry-detergent ad shows a perfect family in a sunlit kitchen, ending with "America's most-trusted detergent."

Two persuasion techniques at work here are:

Pathos (idealised family imagery) and bandwagon ("most-trusted" — appeal to popularity/authority)
Pure logical proof
Negative emotional manipulation only
No persuasion is used

Solution: The imagery does emotional work (idealised family); the slogan piggybacks on perceived consensus. Together they invite the viewer to join the imagined community of trusting consumers.

Question 8

An "algorithmic feed" (TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts):

Shows posts in chronological order only
Selects content based on engagement signals (watch time, likes, shares) and your inferred preferences — quietly amplifying what holds attention, including outrage
Shows random posts
Is identical for every user

Solution: Recommender systems optimise for engagement metrics. Because outrage and identity-affirming content drive engagement, algorithms can quietly amplify them. This shapes the information ecosystem in ways users may not perceive.

Question 9

"Confirmation bias" in social-media use refers to:

The tendency to seek and credit information that confirms what we already believe, while discounting disconfirming evidence
Two-factor authentication
A misspelling
A geometric pattern

Solution: Confirmation bias is a cognitive shortcut amplified by algorithmic feeds: we seek what fits, the algorithm shows us more of what fits, and the cycle hardens. Critical media-users notice the loop and deliberately seek disconfirming sources.

Question 10

When designing a public-service announcement (PSA), the most important early step is:

Choose a font
Identify your target audience and their relationship to the issue — every other choice (tone, channel, length, imagery) flows from this
Pick a colour palette
Decide on background music

Solution: Audience first. A PSA on vaping aimed at parents and one aimed at Grade 11 students will look entirely different — even when the underlying issue is identical. Targeting determines tone, channel, length, language, and imagery.

Question 11

A "storyboard" is:

A finished video
A pre-production sequence of sketched panels showing each shot, accompanied by notes on dialogue, sound, and timing
A list of titles
A budget

Solution: Storyboards are the bridge between script and shoot. Each panel is a frame; notes specify camera angle, actor action, dialogue, and sound. Storyboards force you to visualise pacing before filming.

Question 12

An "ethical media creator" considers:

Only the visual aesthetic
Truthfulness, representation, consent, source crediting, and likely effects of the text on its audiences and communities depicted
Nothing besides views
Only the colour palette

Solution: Ethics in media creation extends beyond accuracy. Are you depicting people fairly? Do they consent to their image's use? Are you crediting sources? Could the work cause harm? These are creator responsibilities.