Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your, answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions.
Television has transformed politics by changing the way in which information is disseminated, by altering political campaigns, and by changing citizen’s patterns of response to politics. By giving citizens independent access to the candidates, television diminished the role of the political party in the selection of the major party candidates. By centering politics on the person of the candidate, television accelerated the citizen’s focus on character rather than issues.
Television has altered the forms of political communication as well. The messages on which most of us rely are briefer than they once were. The stump speech, a political speech given by traveling politicians and lasting 3/2 to 2 hours, which characterized nineteenth century political discourse, has given way to the 30-second advertisement and the ten-second “sound bite” in broadcast news. Increasingly, the audience for speeches is not that standing in front of the politician but rather the viewing audience who will hear and see a snippet of the speech on the news.
In these abbreviated forms, much of what constituted the traditional political discourse of earlier ages has been lost. In 15 or 30 seconds, a speaker cannot establish the historical context that shaped the issue in question, cannot detail the probable causes of the problem, and cannot examine alternative proposals to argue that one is preferable to others. In snippets, politicians assert but do not argue.
Because television is an intimate medium, speaking through it require a changed political style that was more conversational, personal, and visual than that of the old style stump speech. Reliance on television means that increasingly our political world contains memorable pictures rather than memorable words. Schools teach us to analyze words and print. However, in a world in which politics is increasingly visual, informed citizenship requires a new set of skills.
Recognizing the power of television’s pictures, politicians craft staged events, called pseudo-event, designed to attract media coverage. Much of the political activity we see on television news has been crafted by politicians, their speechwriters, and their public relation advisers for televised consumption. Sound bites in news and answers to questions in debates increasingly sound like advertisements.
Notes:
- disseminate (động từ) = truyền bá, phồ biến.
- discourse (danh từ) = bài diễn văn.
- snippet (danh từ) = mẩu (tin...), đoạn trích ngắn.
- assert (động từ) = xác nhận, khẳng định;
- argue (động tứ) = tranh luận.
- intimate (tính từ) = thân mật; intimate medium = phương tiện truyền thông thân thiết.
- to be on the stump = (về chính trị) đang đi diễn thuyết; stump speech = bài diễn văn cồ động chính trị.
- craft (dộng từ) = làm cái gì thật tỉ mỉ, trau chuốt.
0Câu 11
The main point of the passage is that _______
A. politics in the United States has become significantly changed by controversial since the introduction of television
B.citizens in the United States are now more informed about political issues because of television coverage
C. citizens in the United States prefer to see politicians on television instead of in person
D. politics in the United States has been significantly changed by television
Câu 12
It can be inferred from the passage that in the past the introduction of television political parties_____
A. attracted more members
B.received more money
C. had more influence over the selection of political candidates
D. spent more money to promote their political candidates
Câu 13
The author mentions the “stump speech” in paragraph 2 as an example of ___
A. political presentation typical of the 19th century
B.a style of speech common to televised political events
C. an interactive discussion between two politicians
D. an event created by politicians to attract media attention
Câu 14
The phrase “given way to” in paragraph 2 can be best replaced by .
A. modified
B.imitated
C. been replaced by
D. added interest to
Câu 15
The word “that” in paragraph 2 refers to_____
A. audience
B.politician
C. advertisement
D. broadcast news
Câu 16
According to the passage, traditional political discourse was more successful than televised speeches because it_____
A. allows news coverage of political candidates
B.places political issues within a historical context
C. provides detailed information about a candidate’s private behavior
D. makes politics seem more intimate to citizens
Câu 17
By saying that “politicians assert but do not argue ", the author means that politicians_____ .
A. make claims without providing reasons for the claims
B. take stronger positions on issues than in the past
C. dislike having to explain their own positions on issues to citizens
D. enjoy explaining the issue to broadcasters
Câu 18
It can be inferred from paragraph 4 that_____
A. citizens tend to favor a politician who analyzes the issue over one who does not
B.politicians who are considered very attractive are favored by citizens over politicians who are less attractive
C. citizens will need to learn how to evaluate visual political images in order to become better informed
D. politicians will need to learn to become more personal when meeting citizens
Câu 19
According to paragraph 5, staged political events are created so that politicians can_____ .
A. create more time to discuss political issues
B.spend more time talking to citizens in person
C. engage in debates with their opponents
D. obtain more television coverage for themselves
Câu 20
The passage supports the statement that_____.
A. politicians today tends to be more familiar with the views of citizens than in the past .
B. political speeches today focus more on details about issues than in the past
C. political presentations today are more like advertisements than in the past
D. citizens today are less informed about a politician’s character than in the past
A.
B.
C.
D.