Attribution Quiz

The most effective way to use quotations in a news story is to

• paraphrase almost everything the speaker says.

• combine quotations and paraphrases in a pleasing manner.

• to quote exactly almost everything the speaker says.

• use only those quotations that are unlikely to arouse anger or emotion in readers.

Which of the following is NOT a good reason for using a direct quotation?

• The quotation ties a controversial statement to the source.

• The editor tells you to have at least five quotations in every story.

• The speaker says something with unusual emotion, wit, rhythm or color.

• The quotation reveals something of the speaker’s character.

Reporters should use indirect quotations whenever the speaker

• says something short and packed with emotion.

• says something in a way no one else would.

• is someone important and you don’t want to make him or her angry.

• says something newsworthy in an unremarkable way.

In general, partial or fragmentary quotations

• should be turned into paraphrases.

• can be used without attribution.

• are an effective way of spicing up a story.

• adequately compensate for the failure to get full quotations.

The best way to make sure readers will be able to understand the direct quotations used in a story is to

• insert a lot of parenthetical information to explain unclear portions of the quotation.

• report the question the reporter asked along with the quoted answer from the source.

• blend quotation and narrative so that readers have enough information to understand each quotation as it is presented.

• add explanatory information after the quotation with a “said-of” construction.

If a source’s direct quotation contains an error of grammar, the appropriate thing for the reporter to do is

• use the quotation if it is newsworthy and interesting but correct the grammar.

• omit the quotation even if it is newsworthy and interesting.

• paraphrase the quotation without correcting the grammar.

• use the quotation if it is newsworthy and interesting without correcting the grammar.

The policy most news organizations use on whether to publish the profanities sources may use is

• to keep them in the story because profanities are so common in everyday life.

• to keep them in the story because they are common on television and in the movies.

• to delete them.

• to replace them with less offensive words.

Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons for attributing information to a source?

• It helps readers evaluate the credibility of the information.

• It obscures the responsibility of reporters for the facts in the story.

• It allows reporters to connect controversial statements to the person who made them.

• It enables readers to know from whom the reporters obtained their information.

Which of the following is among the kinds of statements that do NOT need attribution?

• Statements of opinion.

• Statements of fact that are controversial.

• Descriptions of events the reporter has not witnessed.

• Descriptions of events the reporter has personally witnessed.

Which of the following best describes how frequently attribution should be used in direct and indirect quotations?

• One attribution for every direct quotation, no matter how long, and one attribution for every sentence of indirect quotation.

• One attribution for every sentence of direct quotation, and one attribution for every paragraph of indirect quotation, no matter how long.

• One attribution for every sentence of direct quotation, and one attribution for every sentence of indirect quotation.

• One attribution for every direct quotation, no matter how long, and one attribution for every paragraph of indirect quotation, no matter how long.