5
lesson pretestMultiple Choice

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Question 5 • World Literature CR SUSD (EX)

Read the excerpt from "The Role of Social Media in the Arab Uprisings" by Heather Brown, Emily Guskin, and Amy Mitchell. Almost immediately after the Arab uprisings began, there was debate over the role and influence of social media in the ouster of Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and the imminent overthrow of [Egyptian president Hosni] Mubarak. In covering what some deemed the Facebook or Twitter revolutions, the media focused heavily on young protesters mobilizing in the streets in political opposition, smartphones in hand. And since then, the violent and sectarian unrest in Syria has brought increased attention to the role of citizen journalism. Social media indeed played a part in the Arab uprisings. Networks formed online were crucial in organizing a core group of activists, specifically in Egypt. Civil society leaders in Arab countries emphasized the role of "the internet, mobile phones, and social media" in the protests. Additionally, digital media has been used by Arabs to exercise freedom of speech and as a space for civic engagement. Now, research is emerging that reexamines in a more detailed way the role that social media played in the Arab uprisings. What evidence could be used to support the authors’ claims in this excerpt? Choose three correct answers.

Answer
A
tweets (Twitter messages) describing the overthrow of Ben Ali at the time it happened
B
speeches that give biographical accounts of the life and accomplishments of Mubarak
C
quotations from experts on social media use during uprisings within the Arab world
D
journal entries from a student describing how social media helped him join a protest
E
verifiable facts that help explain that social media has little effect on citizen journalism

Explanation

The excerpt claims that social media helped organize activists, supported protest activity, and provided a space for civic engagement and citizen journalism. Tweets posted as events unfolded and a student’s account of using social media to join a protest provide direct evidence about those roles. Expert quotations about social media use during Arab uprisings can also support the authors’ claims; facts arguing that social media has little effect and biographies of Mubarak do not address them.

AI-written and checked against the verified answer.

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