The rise of popular magazines and magazine sections of daily newspapers during the last thirty years has resulted in a type of writing known as the “special feature article.” Such articles, presenting interesting and timely subjects in popular forms, are designed to attract a class of readers that were not reached by the older literary periodicals. Daily newspapers had already discovered the advantage of giving the day’s news in a form that could be read rapidly with the maximum degree of interest by the average man and woman. Certain so-called sensational papers had gone a step further in these attempts to give added attractiveness to news and had emphasized its melodramatic aspects. Other papers had seen the value of the “human interest” phases of the day’s happenings. It was not surprising, therefore, that Sunday editors of newspapers should undertake to apply to special articles the same methods that had proved successful in the treatment of news. The product of these efforts at popularization was the special feature article, with its story-like form, its touches of description, its “human interest,” its dramatic situations, its character portrayal—all effectively used to furnish information and entertainment for that rapid reader, the “average American.”

1. The passage implies which of the following about the Special Feature Article?

I. It is targeted at a niche audience
II. It was not created independently but rather evolved from some other types of articles
III. It is sensationalist in nature

A. I
B. II
C. I & III
D. II & III
E. All of the above

OA B

2. What is the primary concern of the passage?

A. Comparing treatment of news in various publications
B. Describing the attempt by certain newspapers to provide sensationalist writing
C. Exploring features of alternate news reporting
D. Describing the popularity of a particular type of writing and explaining its evolution
E. Advocating the use of a particular type of writing in newspapers

OA D

3. Which of the following statements would the author of the passage most likely agree with?

A. Most of readers of daily newspapers are from the older segment of the population
B. Daily newspapers sensationalize everyday news
C. Daily newspapers cater to the average man and woman
D. Special feature articles traditionally dealt with serious issues
E. Special feature articles were published daily to retain reader interest

OA C