Question

the text states that the media typically report presidential elections as horse races. this means that they

• have an instinctive desire to expose scandals.
• play the roles of gatekeeper, scorekeeper, and watchdog in a presidential campaign.
• seek opportunities to write background or interpretive stories about issues in the campaign.
• focus more on the contest itself than on the issues of the campaign.
• have an instinctive desire to investigate personalities.

horse - race journalism concerns the critics because they feel such coverage

• cannot adequately predict who will win or lose a race.
• ignores the importance of issues.
• places too much emphasis on personalities and public personas.
• relies almost entirely on second - and third - hand reporting.
• rarely has an impact on the flow of campaign contributions.

Explanation:

First Question:

Horse - race journalism in the context of presidential elections focuses on the "race" (the contest) rather than the issues. The first option about exposing scandals is more about watchdog role but not horse - race. The second option's roles (gatekeeper, scorekeeper, watchdog) are broader media roles, not specific to horse - race. The third option about background/interpretive stories on issues is opposite of horse - race (which ignores issues). The fifth option about investigating personalities is not the main focus of horse - race (it's about the contest). So the correct option is the one about focusing on the contest over issues.

Critics of horse - race journalism are concerned because it focuses on the "race" (who is winning/losing) and ignores the important issues of the campaign. The first option about predicting winners is not the main criticism. The third option about personalities is not the main criticism of horse - race (it's about the contest, not personalities). The fourth option about second/third - hand reporting is not related to horse - race criticism. The fifth option about campaign contributions is not related. So the correct option is the one about ignoring issue importance.

Answer:

D. focus more on the contest itself than on the issues of the campaign.

Second Question: