Examen de Inglés PAU Madrid 2022 · Ordinaria Martes

TEXTO A

Today's "Fake News" Used to Be Called Yellow Journalism

It is perhaps not so surprising to hear that the problem of "fake news" — media outlets adopting sensationalism to the point of fantasy — is nothing new. As Robert Darnton said, the first example of this in history may have been in the late 19th century. This was when "Yellow Journalism" first began.

Why yellow? The reasons are not totally clear and some sources point to the yellow ink the publications would sometimes use, though others say it was named after a popular cartoon called The Yellow Kid. This cartoon first ran in Joseph Pulitzer's New York World, and later William Randolph Hearst's New York Journal. These two newspapers were in a battle because they wanted to win readers. Their competition led to the rise of Yellow Journalism.

Although today his name is somewhat synonymous with journalism of the highest standards, through association with the Pulitzer Prize, Joseph Pulitzer had a very different reputation while alive. After purchasing The New York World in 1884 and rapidly increasing circulation through the publication of sensationalist stories, he earned the dubious honour of being the pioneer of tabloid journalism. He soon had a competitor in the field when his rival William Randolph Hearst acquired The New York Journal in 1885. The rivalry was fierce, each trying to outdo each other with ever more sensational and scandalous stories.

Yellow Journalism was at its worst in the days leading up to the Spanish-American War. Hearst's newspaper had a major influence on the conflict. It encouraged anti-Spanish feelings across the United States. Some people started calling the war "The Journal's War". Both newspapers published stories about the war that were full of unconfirmed claims, sensationalist propaganda, and outright factual errors.

Adapted from “Yellow Journalism: The "Fake News" of the 19th Century,” The Public Domain Review, December 11, 2019. <https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/yellow-journalism-the-fake-news-of-the-19th-century>

QUESTIONS

A.1.- Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? Copy the evidence from the text. Use a complete sentence. No marks are given for only TRUE or FALSE. (Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)

a)

The term "Yellow Journalism" was coined after a comic strip about a boy in a yellow nightshirt, entitled the "Yellow Kid".

TRUE

FALSE

b)

Joseph Pulitzer has come to be related to one of the most prominent awards given to journalists.

TRUE

FALSE

A.2.- In your own words and based on the ideas in the text, answer the following questions. Do not copy from the text. (Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)

a)

What similarities are there between William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer? Mention two.

b)

Did Yellow Journalism play a role in the Spanish-American War? Why.

TEXTO A

Today's "Fake News" Used to Be Called Yellow Journalism

It is perhaps not so surprising to hear that the problem of "fake news" — media outlets adopting sensationalism to the point of fantasy — is nothing new. As Robert Darnton said, the first example of this in history may have been in the late 19th century. This was when "Yellow Journalism" first began.

Why yellow? The reasons are not totally clear and some sources point to the yellow ink the publications would sometimes use, though others say it was named after a popular cartoon called The Yellow Kid. This cartoon first ran in Joseph Pulitzer's New York World, and later William Randolph Hearst's New York Journal. These two newspapers were in a battle because they wanted to win readers. Their competition led to the rise of Yellow Journalism.

Although today his name is somewhat synonymous with journalism of the highest standards, through association with the Pulitzer Prize, Joseph Pulitzer had a very different reputation while alive. After purchasing The New York World in 1884 and rapidly increasing circulation through the publication of sensationalist stories, he earned the dubious honour of being the pioneer of tabloid journalism. He soon had a competitor in the field when his rival William Randolph Hearst acquired The New York Journal in 1885. The rivalry was fierce, each trying to outdo each other with ever more sensational and scandalous stories.

Yellow Journalism was at its worst in the days leading up to the Spanish-American War. Hearst's newspaper had a major influence on the conflict. It encouraged anti-Spanish feelings across the United States. Some people started calling the war "The Journal's War". Both newspapers published stories about the war that were full of unconfirmed claims, sensationalist propaganda, and outright factual errors.

Adapted from “Yellow Journalism: The "Fake News" of the 19th Century,” The Public Domain Review, December 11, 2019. <https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/yellow-journalism-the-fake-news-of-the-19th-century>

A.3.- Find the words in the text that mean: (Puntuación máxima: 1 punto)

a)

b)

c)

d)

A.4.- Complete the following sentences. Use the appropriate form of the word in brackets when given. (Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)

a)

I really think the journalist is biased. I mean, he

(give) a wrong perspective of the issue blaming the goverment! That's

(hard) fair, is it?

b)

William Randolph Hearst was one of

(colorful), influential, and outspoken figures

(involve) in activities surrounding the Spanish-American War.

c)

Those

consume news need to find ways of

(determine) if what they're reading is true.

d)

Complete the following sentence to report what was said.

"Can you check it out in ten minutes?"

She wondered.

A.5.- Write about 150 to 200 words on the following topic. (Puntuación máxima: 3 puntos)

Can social networking sites like Twitter or Instagram be considered news sources? Justify your answer.

Se valorará la corrección gramatical, léxica, ortográfica y la coherencia, cohesión y madurez de las ideas según la rúbrica oficial (hasta 1,5 puntos por contenido y 1,5 puntos por forma).

TEXTO B

Breakfast Radio

Global Breakfast Radio (GBR) is a 24-hour operation, broadcasting programs from more than 250 radio stations around the world. But there's a catch: each of those stations is only played during its time zone's respective breakfast time slot. As GBR explains in a statement, "The sun is always rising somewhere; breakfast is always just about to happen. In some small way, Global Breakfast Radio hopes to be a way of traveling globally through the medium of radio."

The station was created by two UK-based breakfast radio fans, Seb Emina, a writer, and Daniel Jones, a systems artist. The duo searched for hundreds of radio stations worldwide to narrow down the current list of 250. Those stations play on a loop, with music and news following the sunrise. Pulling that off, however, required a bit of technical finesse. Digital music lovers might notice that the output bears a little resemblance to the algorithmically generated playlists built by Spotify or Pandora. "The difference is that here the algorithm is mediated by the day-long cycle of the Sun sweeping the globe," says Jones, "tied together with the myriad broadcasters in these remote locations."

But this is not without problems, explains Jones. "We soon discovered that internet stream URLs seem to decay and disappear extremely quickly, meaning that the database of stations needs to be constantly updated." Once the algorithmic problems were worked out, the team tried to create a list that is representative of the tremendous diversity around the globe and that captures the feeling of exploring new places. Even licensed photos of sunrises from those places are shown as music and news are broadcast.

Adapted from "This Radio Station Broadcasts All Over the World, But Only at Breakfast Time," Smithsonian Magazine, May 7, 2014. <https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/radio-station-broadcasts-all-over-world-only-breakfast-time-180951352/>

QUESTIONS

B.1.- Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? Copy the evidence from the text. Use a complete sentence. No marks are given for only TRUE or FALSE. (Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)

a)

Radio stations around the world apply to participate in Global Breakfast Radio.

TRUE

FALSE

b)

GBR offers both an auditory and a visual experience.

TRUE

FALSE

B.2.- In your own words and based on the ideas in the text, answer the following questions. Do not copy from the text. (Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)

a)

What is GBR’s main goal?

b)

Why do they need to continuously supervise the database?

TEXTO B

Breakfast Radio

Global Breakfast Radio (GBR) is a 24-hour operation, broadcasting programs from more than 250 radio stations around the world. But there's a catch: each of those stations is only played during its time zone's respective breakfast time slot. As GBR explains in a statement, "The sun is always rising somewhere; breakfast is always just about to happen. In some small way, Global Breakfast Radio hopes to be a way of traveling globally through the medium of radio."

The station was created by two UK-based breakfast radio fans, Seb Emina, a writer, and Daniel Jones, a systems artist. The duo searched for hundreds of radio stations worldwide to narrow down the current list of 250. Those stations play on a loop, with music and news following the sunrise. Pulling that off, however, required a bit of technical finesse. Digital music lovers might notice that the output bears a little resemblance to the algorithmically generated playlists built by Spotify or Pandora. "The difference is that here the algorithm is mediated by the day-long cycle of the Sun sweeping the globe," says Jones, "tied together with the myriad broadcasters in these remote locations."

But this is not without problems, explains Jones. "We soon discovered that internet stream URLs seem to decay and disappear extremely quickly, meaning that the database of stations needs to be constantly updated." Once the algorithmic problems were worked out, the team tried to create a list that is representative of the tremendous diversity around the globe and that captures the feeling of exploring new places. Even licensed photos of sunrises from those places are shown as music and news are broadcast.

Adapted from "This Radio Station Broadcasts All Over the World, But Only at Breakfast Time," Smithsonian Magazine, May 7, 2014. <https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/radio-station-broadcasts-all-over-world-only-breakfast-time-180951352/>

B.3.- Find the words in the text that mean: (Puntuación máxima: 1 punto)

a)

b)

c)

d)

B.4.- Complete the following sentences. Use the appropriate form of the word in brackets when given. (Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)

a)

In the 19th century, German scientist Heinrich Hertz

(prove) the existence of radio waves,

occur in nature.

b)

Guglielmo Marconi, who was born

20th April 1874, invented what he called "the wireless telegraph" while

(experiment) in his parents' attic.

c)

Marconi used radio waves

(transmit) Morse code and the instrument he used became

(know) as the radio.

d)

Before the 1920s, the radio

(use) to contact ships that were out

sea.

B.5.- Write about 150 to 200 words on the following topic. (Puntuación máxima: 3 puntos)

Discuss the pros and cons of starting the school day later in the morning.

Rúbrica de evaluación (hasta 3 puntos)

• Contenido (hasta 1,5 puntos): Mensaje claro, preciso y coherente; capacidad para desarrollar un punto de vista personal y argumentar pros y contras; conectores variados y efectivos.

• Forma (hasta 1,5 puntos): Corrección gramatical, riqueza de vocabulario, ortografía y puntuación adecuadas.

• Extensión: entre 150 y 200 palabras.

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