Summary
Details are used to support ideas and arguments. Major details support the main idea and minor details support the main details. Details are usually presented as who, what, where why and how. Details can be facts, opinions, illustrations and explanations. Distinguishing between major and minor details is necessary to understand the author’s viewpoint. In testing this an important factor. Remembering every single detail is unimportant, but identifying the main idea and details is.
Exercises
1. The author describes the United States as what?
A carnival
2. Why does Phil Donahue offer no apology about airing his show on children with progeria?
He says he shows these disfigured children in order to humanize people who have suffered.
3. What does Sally Jesse Raphael say about her show?
It demonstrates man’s triumph over adversity.
4. What, according to the author, is contributing to out cultural demise?
Diminished interest in serious news
5. What is the overall main idea of this essay?
This essay’s main idea is that talk shows are central to America’s cultural demise.
6. What, according to the author, made sideshows more acceptable than talk shows?
Sideshows at least made no pretense about the voyeurism.
7. According to the author, whose fault is it that talk shows provide shockingly titillating stories?
The public, for watching them
8. What does the author consider “real entertainment”?
The author believes that talk shows can be substantive and interesting. That would be “real entertainment.”
9. According to the author, why do we watch talk shows?
No comments:
Post a Comment