1.12 Self-teaching questions (1-3)


The following 8 questions should help you to revise the points of the Lesson One e-lecture. Some possible answers are on the next page. Try not to look at them before you have actually written down the answers on a piece of paper.

Please take a look at the following website: [ http://www.scidev.net/en/science-communication/practical-guides/ ] Find out which criteria a news story has to meet if you want to publish it on SciDev.Net. Then try to answer the following first three questions:

QUESTION 1:
How many paragraphs should the reader of a SciDev.Net article read before he or she understands what the article's main thrust is?
  1. 1 paragraph
  2. 3 paragraphs
  3. 5 paragraphs
QUESTION 2:
Imagine you have started writing your first news story for SciDev.Net but realize you have reached 600 words before finishing. What do you do?
  1. Reduce it to 500 words.
  2. Ask the editor for permission to write 650 words.
  3. Write 1200 words, send it to the editor, and explain why this has become a feature story.
QUESTION 3:
Which of the following three subjects is most likely to be accepted by SciDev.Net?
  1. "Safe Alternative" Treatment for Malaria in Pregnancy
    Trials carried out in Ghana show that treating pregnant women with the drug amodiaquine, either alone or in combination with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP), almost completely wipes out malaria parasites without causing any serious side effects.
  2. Warning of Locust Strike in West and North Africa
    The UN has warned West and North Africa to be on the alert for a possible plague of locusts that could have a potentially devastating impact on the region's crops. During the summer of 2004, an outbreak of locusts devastated crops, fruit trees, and vegetation in several parts of West Africa, at a cost of more than US$400 million.
  3. Tunisia unveils plans to boost scientific development
    Tunisia has announced three initiatives to boost the contribution of science and technology to national development. Part of its role will be to provide policymakers with information about research trends of potential socioeconomic importance.



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