Study Guide for Midterm Exam


Students in JB 3313 Editing I will take a midterm exam at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb.11, as outlined in the syllabus. The test will be over the materials presented in class meetings, labs and readings. It will not include editing law enforcement stories or abbreviations, acronyms and addresses. Many of the test questions will be similar to those appearing on lab quizzes and exercises. Study those quizzes and exercises, along with your lecture notes and the textbooks.

If you have questions about the test or the material, please call me at school at 744-8096 or at home at 372-1754. I do not mind being called on weekends or evenings before 10 p.m. Do not miss a question because you do not understand the material. I am here to help you.

Because you will be editing, bring a pencil and eraser to the test. You will NOT be allowed to use notes, texts, stylebooks or any other materials except a calculator. The test must be completed by 10:20 a.m., when I will collect all remaining tests. A class meets after ours so the deadline WILL NOT be extended.

Tell me what you know on essay questions. A sentence or two is insufficient to answer most questions. Write an answer that shows me you understand the material and its complexities. Citing examples from the book indicates that you have read it. Fill the space allowed with a reasoned argument.

You must be able to discuss the following for the test:

  • Explain the role of a copy editor. Why do newsrooms have copy editors? What are their functions? What do copy editors do? How do they do it? How do copy editors fit into newsroom organization?

  • Assess the lead of a story and how well it is backed up. Is the story news? Be able to defend your answer in terms of news values such as impact, proximity, prominence and novelty. Is the lead backed up in the story? Does the story go beyond the lead? Is the lead buried.? Is the story fundamentally sound? What suggestions do you have for improvement? These suggestions should be specific and based on a close reading of the story.

  • Identify and explain the High Five. Does the story include all of the High Five? If not, which ones are missing? Be able to label them, if necessary. Are the High Five in the top five graphs? Be able to discuss how you would change the story to put it into the High Five format.

  • Determine whether stories are fair. Do stories have more than one source? Are they balanced? Do they include multiple sides of an issue? Be able to differentiate fact from opinion. Know what loaded words are and be able to spot them.

  • Know the Associated Press style covered this semester. You must be able to use standard copy-editing marks to edit sentences for AP style, spelling and grammar. Topics will include capitalization and titles. Test items might include editing sentences and multiple-choice items.
Back to Editing I