Quiz 2 Name ___________ 08/04/23

1. The senator's speech was filled with __________ promises and __________ rhetoric, leading
many in the audience to become __________ of his true intentions.
a) lofty - eloquent - skeptical
b) tangible - inhibited - irreverent
c) petty - vexing - tenacious
d) mutable - colloquial - impassioned

2. Though the politician's __________ speech was filled with __________ language, his
followers were not __________ by his argument, remaining skeptical of his claims.
a) eloquent - colloquial - vexed
b) erratic - adequate - endorsed
c) eloquent - vernacular - influenced
d) secluded - sophisticated - content

3. The scientist's __________ decision to __________ the controversial theory led to an

__________ backlash in the academic community.
a) adequate - renounce - erratic
b) imprudent - broach - unprecedented
c) inquisitive - reconcile - ardent
d) contentious - spawn - ambiguous

4. His __________ enthusiasm for the arts, combined with his __________ attitude towards
criticism, made him both a respected and feared critic in the industry.
a) avid - unassuming
b) eccentric - inevitable
c) petty - skeptic
d) tangible - passive

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5. The entrepreneur's __________ strategies not only __________ traditional business norms but
also led to an __________ growth in the company's profits.
a) feasible - provoked - inhibited
b) austere - invoked - sporadic
c) radical - esteemed - tangible
d) innovative - challenged - unprecedented

6. The government's decision to __________ voting rights to the marginalized group was hailed
as a significant step toward political __________, though some __________ voices raised
concerns.
a) enfranchise - suffrage - incredulous
b) vex - coerce - adequate
c) speculate - postulate - earnest
d) fluctuate - anomalous - mired

7. The young writer's __________ novel was praised for its __________ style but criticized for
its lack of depth and __________ characters.
a) eccentric - austere - apparent
b) secular - dreadful - sophisticated
c) innovative - colloquial - sluggish
d) quarrelsome - adequate - mutable

8. The researcher's __________ approach to gathering data, refusing to __________ to

traditional methodologies, led to __________ results that have yet to be replicated.
a) erratic - yield - anomalous
b) vexing - speculate - conventional
c) radical - adhere - unprecedented
d) imprudent - allude - reverential

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9. The general's __________ decision to advance led to a __________ loss, and he was later
__________ for his failure to assess the situation adequately.
a) impetuous - detrimental - admonished
b) petty - tangible - exalted
c) authoritarian - ephemeral - invoked
d) arbitrary - paucity - compelled

10. The philosopher was known for her __________ thinking, often willing to __________ ideas
that others found too controversial or __________.
a) authoritarian - inhibit - feasible
b) petty - renounce - coherent
c) quarrelsome - yield - sporadic
d) idealistic - broach - vexing

11. Though the evidence was __________, the lawyer managed to __________ a powerful
argument, only to have it __________ by the opposing counsel's tenacity.
a) tangible - articulate - reinforced
b) mutable - compel - conceived
c) apparent - formulate - dismantled
d) sporadic - speculate - endorsed

12. The diplomat's __________ efforts to __________ the conflicting parties eventually resulted
in a __________ agreement, albeit one met with some skepticism.
a) insurrection - alienate - arbitrary
b) venerable - reconcile - feasible
c) ambivalent - contend - ephemeral
d) dread - compel – equivocal

13. During the debate, the senator's __________ assertions were met with __________ by his
opponent, who found the arguments neither original nor convincing.

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a) radical - reverence
b) anomaly - brevity
c) sporadic - skepticism
d) inherent - intuitions

14. Her __________ in the arts was evident from a young age, and her parents were keen to
__________ that talent, providing her with the best teachers and resources.
a) stronghold - reinforce
b) vanity - temper
c) suffrage - contemplate
d) anomaly - provoke

15. The __________ nature of the economy caused many to __________ investing in the stock
market, fearing that it was not a __________ way to grow their wealth.
a) dispassionate - conjecture - avid
b) inevitable - indulge - temperamental
c) petty - compel - arbitrary
d) fluctuating - inhibit - feasible

16. Though known for his __________ behavior, the artist's ability to __________ complex
emotions through his work made him a revered figure in his field.
a) erratic - articulate
b) content - malign
c) austere - compel
d) unassuming - renounce

17. Her __________ to the cause, despite facing constant obstacles, was seen as both
__________ and inspiring by those who knew her.
a) brevity - sluggish
b) vanity - petty

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c) tenacity - venerable
d) intuition - innovative

18. The CEO's __________ to __________ new strategies and his ability to adapt to changing
markets made him a successful leader.
a) vanity - contemplate
b) stronghold - yield
c) determination - endeavor
d) brevity - indulge

19. Although the two scholars often __________, their mutual __________ for each other's
intellect never waned, even in the most heated debates.
a) quarreled - reverence
b) indulged - compulsion
c) delegated - disparity
d) conceived - malign

20. The scientist was able to __________ a new theory about the universe, but it took decades to
gather enough __________ evidence to support her claims.
a) spawn - allusive
b) speculate - vexing
c) dread - adequate
d) postulate - tangible

21. As the government continued to __________ its power, many feared that the nation was
moving away from a democratic system to a more __________ regime.
a) reinforce - authoritarian
b) contemplate - impetuous
c) concede - sporadic
d) induce - entrenching

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22. The author's __________ use of __________ language made his work accessible to a wider
audience, but some critics found it less sophisticated.
a) irksome - secular
b) adept - phenomenal
c) colloquial - vernacular
d) idealistic - austere

23. Her __________ approach to teaching, combined with her __________ understanding of the
subject, made her one of the most sought-after educators in the field.
a) benevolent - intuitive
b) innovative - adept
c) sporadic - malignant
d) coercive - sluggish

24. Despite the __________ of resources in the region, the community managed to build a
thriving economy through hard work and __________ leadership.
a) phenomenon - yielding
b) disdain - equivocal
c) reverence - stagnant
d) paucity - visionary

25. The architect's __________ designs often __________ conventional thinking, leading to
structures that were both visually striking and functionally __________.
a) radical - challenged - adept
b) unassuming - inhibited - intuitional
c) arbitrary - alienated - austere
d) sporadic - contemplated - petty

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26. He often __________ to the old legend in his speeches, using it as a metaphor to __________
the importance of unity and perseverance.
a) maligned - dread
b) alluded - stress
c) decreed - indulge
d) inhibited - yield

27. The __________ between the rich and the poor continued to widen, leading some economists
to __________ new policies that would address this growing issue.
a) disparity - advocate
b) phenomenon - coerce
c) speculation - attest
d) anomaly - invoke

28. The scholar's ability to __________ between various historical events and __________ the
connections between them made his lectures both enlightening and engaging.
a) distinguish - articulate
b) coerce - speculate
c) fluctuate - vex
d) renounce - equivocate

29. The sudden __________ decision to close the __________ left many vendors in a state of
shock, struggling to find new ways to sell their goods.
a) abrupt - bazaar
b) inevitable - proxy
c) sporadic - vanity
d) entrenching - decree

30. Her __________ dedication to her work often led her to disregard her own well-being, a trait
that both __________ and worried those close to her.

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a) impetuous - contemplated
b) quarrelsome - attested
c) inexorable - invoked
d) petty - endeavored

31. The __________ environment of the island, combined with its __________ beauty, made it
the perfect location for a writer seeking inspiration without distractions.
a) secluded - austere
b) mutable - irksome
c) sporadic - tangible
d) detrimental - vanity

32. The government's __________ approach to handling the crisis was viewed by many as
__________ and inadequate, leading to widespread dissatisfaction and protests.
a) adept - entrenching
b) arbitrary - erratic
c) innovative - reverent
d) eloquent - inherent

33. As an __________ scientist known for his __________ experiments, he often faced criticism
but continued to __________ new and untested theories.
a) eccentric - unprecedented - broach
b) adequate - vexing - renounce
c) authoritarian - imprudent - compel
d) quarrelsome - ephemeral - yield

34. The __________ of the original manuscript, despite its __________, was a significant
discovery that allowed scholars to __________ many previously held beliefs about the author's
intentions.
a) anomaly - brevity - contemplate

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b) inquisition - malign - inhibit
c) phenomenon - brevity - reevaluate
d) stronghold - pettiness - speculate

35. With the rise of immersive, __________ technologies, traditional businesses must
__________ or risk becoming irrelevant in an ever-changing marketplace.
a) innovative - adapt
b) equivocal - dread
c) reverent - provoke
d) sluggish – induce

(Questions 36-44)

Passage 1 " adapted from ' The Hollywood strike can and must win – for all of us, not just
writers and actors', originally delivered by Hamilton Nolan Wed 19 Jul 2023."

We’re having quite an apocalyptic summer. Wildfire smoke chokes the air of major cities. Amid
a brutal heatwave, striking workers muster picket lines on scorching streets. The screenwriters of
the Writers Guild of America (WGA) have been on strike for nearly three months. Last week
they were joined by 160,000 members of Sag-Aftra, the actors’ union. Hollywood is closed for
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business. Everyone is scared that artificial intelligence could steal away our jobs. It’s hot.
Tempers are short. The whole entertainment industry is out of work and angry and ready to lean
into class war. It feels a little scary. It feels a little giddy. It feels like anything might happen this
year. It can be tempting to demonize Hollywood as the source of all of society’s ills. The right
hates them for being decadent limousine liberals undermining traditional values, and the left
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hates them for being decadent limousine liberals spreading America’s pernicious capitalist
myths worldwide. But what is happening right now should be understood as Hollywood’s
redemption.

The thousands of workers engaged in this enormous, multi-union Hollywood strike – something
America hasn’t seen since 1960 – represent the frontline of two battles that matter to every single
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American. You might not naturally pick “writers and actors” to be the backbone of your

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national defense force, but hey, we go to war with the army we have. In this case, they are well
suited to the fight at hand.

The first battle is between humanity and artificial intelligence. Just a year ago, it seemed like a
remote issue, a vague and futuristic possibility, still tinged with a touch of sci-fi. Now, AI has
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advanced so fast that everyone has grasped that it has the potential to be to white-collar and
creative work what industrial automation was to factory work. It is the sort of technology that
you either put in a box, or it puts you in a box. And who is going to build the guardrails that
prevent the worst abuses of AI?

Look around. Do you believe that the divided US government is going to rouse itself to
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concerted action in time to regulate this technology, which grows more potent by the month?
They will not. Do you know, then, the only institutions with the power to enact binding rules
about AI that protect working people from being destroyed by a bunch of impenetrable
algorithms that can produce stilted, error-filled simulacrums of their work at a fraction of the
cost?

When it comes to regulating AI now, before it gets so widely entrenched that it’s impossible to
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roll back, union contracts are the only game in town. And the WGA and Sag-Aftra contracts,
which cover entire industries, will go down in history as some of the first major efforts to write
reasonable rules governing this technology that is so new that even knowing what to ask for
involves a lot of speculation. What we know for sure is this: if we leave AI wholly in the hands
of tech companies and their investors, it is absolutely certain that AI will be used in a way that
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takes the maximum amount of money out of the pockets of labor and deposits it in the accounts
of executives and investment firms. These strikes are happening, in large part, to set the
precedent that AI must benefit everyone rather than being a terrifying inequality accelerator that
throws millions out of work to enrich a lucky few. Even if you have never been to Hollywood,
you have a stake in this fight. AI will come for your own industry soon enough.

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And that brings us to the second underlying battle here: the class war itself. When you scrape
away the relatively small surface layer of glitz and glamor and wealthy stars, entertainment is
just another industry, full of regular people doing regular work. The vast majority of those who
write scripts or act in shows (or do carpentry, or catering, or chauffeuring, or the zillion other
jobs that Hollywood produces) are not rich and famous. The CEOs that the entertainment unions

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45
are negotiating with make hundreds of millions of dollars, while most Sag-Aftra members don’t
make the $26,000 a year necessary to qualify for the union’s health insurance plan.

In this sense, the entertainment industry is just like every other industry operating under
America’s rather gruff version of capitalism. If left to their own devices, companies will always
try to push labor costs towards zero and executive pay towards infinity. The preferred state of
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every corporation in America is one in which all of its employees earn just enough money to
survive and the CEO and investors earn enough money to build private rockets to escape to a
private Mars colony for billionaires. The only – the only – thing that stops this process is labor
power. That comes from unions. The walls that unions build protect not just their own members,
but by extension the entire working class. That is what’s at stake here. So do not make the
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mistake of seeing these strikes as something remote from the realities of your own life.
Hollywood has many flaws, but its most redeeming quality is that it is a strongly unionized
industry. Unlike in most places, its workers have the ability to fight back against abuse, whether
it comes from AI’s dead-hearted algorithms or from David Zaslav’s stupid rich smug face. The
strikers in the streets are taking upon themselves the responsibility of drawing a line in the sand,
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saying that the excesses of inequality must stop here and now.

And they will win. Bet on it. Go out to a picket line and you will believe me. They will win
because they are truly pissed; they will win because they are willing to suffer for what is
necessary; and, most of all, they will win because Hollywood executives can’t act or write. All
those executives can do is sell what the actors and the writers make, and steal as much of the
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profit as they can grab. But when the work stops, there is nothing to sell. There are no profits.
And while everyone on the picket line finds love and community and purpose, the executives
will find nothing but empty theaters and public scorn. Pretty soon, nobody will remember why
they got paid so much money in the first place.

36. As used in line 2, "scorching" most nearly means:

A) Sowing

B) Blazing

C) Cooling

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 D) Watering

37. As used in line 2, "muster" most nearly means:

A) Gather

B) Intimidate

C) Disperse

D) Revoke

38. In line 9, the word "limousine" is used metaphorically to describe a certain group of liberals.
This word choice most likely implies that these liberals are:

A) Economical

B) Elite

C) Playful

D) Practical

39. As used in line 48, "gruff" most nearly means:

A) Polite

B) Rough

C) Friendly

D) Cheerful

40. In line 62, the word "pissed" is most nearly means:

A) Intoxicated

B) Carefree

C) Annoyed

D) Confused

41. In line 9, the term "decadent" most likely conveys a sense of:

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 A) Elegance

B) Modernity

C) Excess

D) Decay

42. As used in line 37, "accelerator" most nearly means:

A) Brake

B) Catalyst

C) Vehicle

D) Pathway

43. The word "pernicious" in line 10 most nearly means:

A) Harmful

B) Useful

C) Innocuous

D) Benevolent

44. In line 19, "tinged" most nearly means:

A) Painted

B) Touched

C) Repulsed

D) Intrigued

(Questions 45-50)

Passage 2 "This passage is adapted from 'Public Trust in the News' by Stephen Coleman, Scott
Anthony, and David E. Morrison, ©2009 by Stephen Coleman."

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The news is a form of public knowledge. Unlike personal or private knowledge, such as the
health of one's friends and family, the conduct of a private hobby, or a secret liaison, public
knowledge increases in value as it is shared by more people. The date of an election and the
claims of rival candidates, the causes and consequences of an environmental disaster, a debate
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about how to frame a particular law, the latest reports from a war zone, these are all examples of
public knowledge that people are generally expected to know in order to be considered informed
citizens.

In contrast to personal or private knowledge, which is generally left to individuals to pursue or

ignore, public knowledge is promoted even to those who might not think it matters to them. In
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short, the circulation of public knowledge, including the news, is generally regarded as a public
good which cannot be solely demand-driven.

The production, circulation, and reception of public knowledge is a complex process. It is

generally accepted that public knowledge should be authoritative, but there is not always
common agreement about what the public needs to know, who is best placed to relate and
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explain it, and how authoritative reputations should be determined and evaluated.

Historically, newspapers such as The Times and broadcasters such as the BBC were widely
regarded as the trusted shapers of authoritative agendas and conventional wisdom. They
embodied the Oxford English Dictionary’s definition of authority as the “power over, or title to
influence, the opinions of others.”

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As part of the general process of the transformation of authority whereby there has been a
reluctance to uncritically accept traditional sources of public knowledge, the demand has been
for all authority to make explicit the frames of value which determine their decisions. Centres of
news production, as our focus groups show, have not been exempt from this process. Not
surprisingly perhaps some news journalists feel uneasy about this renegotiation of their authority:

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"Editors are increasingly casting a glance at the “most read” lists on their own and other
websites to work out which stories matter to readers and viewers. And now the audience, which
used to know its place, is being asked to act as a kind of journalistic ombudsman, ruling on our
credibility," a broadcast journalist in 2008 said.

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"The result of democratising access to TV news could be political disengagement by the majority
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and a dumbing down through a popularity contest of stories," an online news editor in 2007
stated.

Despite the rhetorical bluster of these statements, they amount to more than straightforward
professional defensiveness. In their reference to an audience “which used to know its place” and
conflation between democratisation and “dumbing down,” they are seeking to argue for a
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particular mode of public knowledge: one which is shaped by experts, immune from populist
pressures, and disseminated to attentive, but mainly passive recipients. It is a view of citizenship
that closes down opportunities for popular involvement in the making of public knowledge by
reinforcing the professional claims of experts.

The journalists quoted above are right to feel uneasy, for there is, at almost every institutional
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level in contemporary society, skepticism towards the epistemological authority of expert elites.
There is a growing feeling, as expressed by several of our focus group participants, that the news
media should be “informative rather than authoritative”. The job of journalists should be to “give
the news as raw as it is, without putting their slant on it”. People should be given “sufficient
information” from which “we would be able to form opinions of our own”.

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At stake here are two distinct conceptions of authority. The journalists we have quoted are
resistant to the democratisation of news: the supremacy of the clickstream (according to which
editors raise or lower the profile of stories according to the number of readers clicking on them
online), the parity of popular culture with “serious” news, and the demands of some audience
members for raw news rather than constructed narratives.

45. As used in line 1, "private" most nearly means:

A) Secluded

B) Individual

C) Protected

D) Isolated

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46. As used in line 9, "promoted" most nearly means:

A) Advanced

B) Endorsed

C) Raised

D) Encouraged

47. As used in line 13, "authoritative" most nearly means:

A) Reliable

B) Commanding

C) Dominant

D) Influential

48. As used in line 15, "reputations" most nearly means:

A) Fames

B) Images

C) Characters

D) Identities

49. As used in line 34, "conflation" most nearly means:

A) Combination

B) Inflation

C) Overlap

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 D) Confusion

50. As used in line 46, "resistant" most nearly means:

A) Durable

B) Opposed

C) Tolerant

D) Insensitive

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