“China’s Censored World” answer key

Multiple Choice

Directions: Choose the one best answer to each question.

1. What is one thing that does not solicit censorship in China, according to the article?
a) mentioning politically-sensitive names
b) speaking poorly of communism
c) writing about historical events that do not reflect China in a positive way
d) upholding democracy

2. Which newspaper has had trouble sending its employees into China?
a) the New York Times
b) Bloomberg News
c) Nobel Peace Prize
d) Sina Weibo

3. What does the Central Propaganda Department in China lack?

a) video footage
b) rules
c) an address
d) unrestricted internet access

4. In order to publish his book in China, the author of this article was told that he’d have to change
approximately how much of his book?
a) 10%
b) 25%
c) 40%
d) 60%
Short Answer

Directions: Answer the following questions with a short but complete answer.

5. What change has happened in China in the last forty or fifty years?
More foreign books have been allowed into the country: “But in the past three decades, rules
have relaxed somewhat and sales of foreign writers have ballooned, thanks to Chinese consumers
who are ravenous for new information about themselves and the world.”

6. What ironic characteristics of China does the author point out?

“The world’s largest buyer of BMW, Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles is ruled by a Communist
Party that has tried to banish the word “luxury” from advertisements. It is home to two of the
world’s most highly valued Internet companies (Tencent and Baidu), as well as history’s most
sophisticated effort to censor human expression. China is both the world’s newest superpower
and its largest authoritarian state.”

7. Why does the author of this article decide not to publish his book in mainland China?

Osnos, Evan. "China’s Censored World." The New York Times. The New York Times, 02 May 2014. Web. 25 May 2015.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/03/opinion/sunday/chinas-censored-world.html?_r=0>.
To produce a “special version” that plays down dissent, trims the Great Leap Forward, and
recites the official history of Bo Xilai’s corruption would not help Chinese readers. On the
contrary, it would endorse a false image of the past and present. As a writer, my side of the
bargain is to give the truest story I can.

Synonyms

Directions: Find the word or phrase in the right-hand column that could meaningfully replace one of the words
on the left.

8. ___d__ prominent a. inconceivable f. excessive

9. ___e___ altering b. unstoppable g. dangerous
10. ___h__ retaliation c. upgrading h. vengeance
11. ___b___ inexorable d. important l. concern
e. changing

Fill in the Blank

Directions: Choose the word that best fits in each blank.

12. ___c___ a. problem g. current

13. ___k___ b. lost h. unwelcome
14. ___a___ c. former i. erased
15. ___e___ d. hidden j. believable
16. ___h___ e. mentioned k. covered
f. angry

Osnos, Evan. "China’s Censored World." The New York Times. The New York Times, 02 May 2014. Web. 25 May 2015.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/03/opinion/sunday/chinas-censored-world.html?_r=0>.