Headlines and Leads Exercise
Started: Jun 14 at 5:37pm
Quiz Instructions
This exercise will provide you with practice for writing headlines and leads. Use our textbook as a resource for examples and tips.
For each question you are to type your response in the box provided. Take your time and think about each word that you use. This is not a timed exercise, but you should complete it one sitting.
Good luck.
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Question 110 pts
The most important words a journalist writes are headlines. A headline that is clear and specific will tell the readers what a story is about and allow them to decide whether or not to delve more deeply into the newspaper, magazine, or website. A general or vague headline will confuse readers and they may end up wasting time. Good headlines are not easy to write. They take a great deal of skill, understanding, and practice on the part of the writer.
Directions: Write a headline for the following story. The headline should not be more than 60 characters long. Refer to your textbook 5.6: Headlines for tips and examples.
Story 1 – Wild Fire (10 pts)
Two juveniles claimed responsibility Tuesday for a campfire that sparked a three-day fire that raged across southern Ticonderoga County last month.
The boys, ages 14 and 15, came to the Sheriff’s office with their parents today and said they believed that it was their campfire that had begun the blaze. They were charged with ignoring Sheriff’s safety signs concerning fires and have been released to the custody of their parents.
12pt
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Question 210 pts
The most important words a journalist writes are headlines. A headline that is clear and specific will tell the readers what a story is about and allow them to decide whether or not to delve more deeply into the newspaper, magazine, or website. A general or vague headline will confuse readers and they may end up wasting time. Good headlines are not easy to write. They take a great deal of skill, understanding, and practice on the part of the writer.
Directions: Write a headline for the following story. The headline should not be more than 60 characters long. Refer to your textbook 5.6: Headlines for tips and examples.
Story 2 – Leash Law (10 pts)
The City Council rejected a proposal Monday that would charge dog owners whose pets bite people with a misdemeanor offense carrying penalties of up to $500 and five days in jail.
After an emotional one-hour debate, the council voted 5-2 against the measure introduced by council member Darden Clarke. Clarke said he has received at least five complaints about dog bites in his district during the past month.
12pt
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Question 310 pts
The most important words a journalist writes are headlines. A headline that is clear and specific will tell the readers what a story is about and allow them to decide whether or not to delve more deeply into the newspaper, magazine, or website. A general or vague headline will confuse readers and they may end up wasting time. Good headlines are not easy to write. They take a great deal of skill, understanding, and practice on the part of the writer.
Directions: Write a headline for the following story. The headline should not be more than 60 characters long. Refer to your textbook 5.6: Headlines for tips and examples.
Story 3 – School Board (10 pts)
The City School Board named Mike Coleman, principal of Sandy Bar High School in Sandy Bar, La., to the top post at Haraway High School during its Monday meeting. In a 5-4 vote, the board picked Coleman over Haraway Assistant Principal Juli McCorvey. Coleman and McCorvey were the finalists in a search that drew more than 40 applicants.
12pt
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Question 410 pts
The most important words a journalist writes are headlines. A headline that is clear and specific will tell the readers what a story is about and allow them to decide whether or not to delve more deeply into the newspaper, magazine, or website. A general or vague headline will confuse readers and they may end up wasting time. Good headlines are not easy to write. They take a great deal of skill, understanding, and practice on the part of the writer.
Directions: Write a headline for the following story. The headline should not be more than 60 characters long. Refer to your textbook 5.6: Headlines for tips and examples.
Story 4 – Youth Group (10 pts)
Six girls attending a youth group camping trip were found early Sunday after spending the night alone Saturday in near-freezing temperatures at Mount Cheaha State Park.
They were discovered around 8 a.m. Sunday by a park ranger about two miles from where the rest of their party spent the night. The Methodist church group had gone to the park to spend time in the woods. The girls got lost when they took a late afternoon hike on one of the park’s nature trails.
12pt
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Question 520 pts
The most important part of the news story is the first, or lead, paragraph. The lead should tell the reader the most important information in the story. It should be written so that the reader will be interested in going further into the story. Refer to section 5.1in your textbook.
Direction: Write a lead paragraph from this set of facts. Hint: Do not try to put all of the available information into the lead paragraph. Be selective. Use proper AP style. Double-check facts and spelling of proper names before finishing your story
Lead 5 – Crash (20 pts.)
- Happened today at noon
- Killed Rufus N. Hebernowski, an Air Force major
- Happened at the Super Shopping Mall, a huge new mall on the western edge of town
- Jet aircraft he was piloting crashed
- No one on the ground injured or killed
- Fifteen cars were destroyed in the mall’s northern parking lot when the aircraft crashed into them
- Hebernowski had no known connections locally
- He was stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base
12pt
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Question 620 pts
The most important part of the news story is the first, or lead, paragraph. The lead should tell the reader the most important information in the story. It should be written so that the reader will be interested in going further into the story. Refer to section 5.1in your textbook.
Directions: Write a lead paragraph from this set of facts. Hint: Do not try to put all of the available information into the lead paragraph. Be selective. Use proper AP style. Double-check facts and spelling of proper names before finishing your story.
Lead 6 – City Council (20 pts)
- City council met this morning
- 10 percent increase in city property taxes
- Increase will cause average taxes to go up by about $50 yearly
- Higher rate takes effect at the first of next month
- Tax will be used to pay for doubling the size of the city park
12pt
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Question 720 pts
The most important part of the news story is the first, or lead, paragraph. The lead should tell the reader the most important information in the story. It should be written so that the reader will be interested in going further into the story. Refer to section 5.1in your textbook.
Directions: Write a lead paragraph from this set of facts. Hint: Do not try to put all of the available information into the lead paragraph. Be selective. Use proper AP style. Double-check facts and spelling of proper names before finishing your story.
Lead 7 – University Raises (20 pts)
- Harold R. Drazsnzak, university vice president for finance
- Made an announcement at a press conference on the front steps of the university administration building
- Said that all faculty and staff will get 15 percent pay raises
- Will take effect this fall
- Said the raise is possible because of increased revenues from the state
- Drazsnzak: “Without a doubt, our faculty is long overdue to get a raise.”
- First raise for the faculty in two years
12pt
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0 words
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