News Wire Service — Questions and answers

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Why was there a strong need for faster news in London in 1851?

Choices

  1. People wanted to know about new inventions.
  2. News traveled too slowly by trains and ships. ✓
  3. Newspaper editors liked to complain a lot.
  4. Paul Reuter wanted to become famous quickly.

Answer: News traveled too slowly by trains and ships.

From page 1

What was Mr. Davies frustrated about regarding news of cotton prices?

Choices

  1. The weather was not clear for optical telegraphs.
  2. Sailors were unloading mailbags too slowly.
  3. News about cotton prices was days or weeks old when it arrived. ✓
  4. He couldn't make any investments because of the delays.

Answer: News about cotton prices was days or weeks old when it arrived.

From page 2

What was the main problem Paul Reuter faced with the electric telegraph network?

Choices

  1. The telegraph lines were too expensive to use for everyone.
  2. The lines from Berlin and Paris did not connect, leaving a 110-kilometer gap. ✓
  3. Herr Schmidt, the operator, didn't know how to use the telegraph correctly.
  4. The lines were constantly broken because of the mountainous terrain.

Answer: The lines from Berlin and Paris did not connect, leaving a 110-kilometer gap.

From page 3

What clever, but temporary, solution did Paul Reuter come up with to bridge the 110-kilometer gap?

Choices

  1. He decided to wait for new telegraph lines to be built across the mountains.
  2. He hired more fast riders to carry the news by horse.
  3. He used homing pigeons to carry news across the gap. ✓
  4. He asked Mr. Hoffmann to build a new train track.

Answer: He used homing pigeons to carry news across the gap.

From page 4

How much time did Reuter's pigeon service typically save for news traveling the 110-kilometer stretch?

Choices

  1. Just a few minutes.
  2. A little over an hour.
  3. At least six hours. ✓
  4. Several days.

Answer: At least six hours.

From page 5

What happened to Reuter's pigeon service in 1851?

Choices

  1. It became even more popular than before.
  2. It was replaced because the electric telegraph lines were fully connected. ✓
  3. Reuter decided he didn't like working with pigeons anymore.
  4. The pigeons flew away and never came back to Aachen.

Answer: It was replaced because the electric telegraph lines were fully connected.

From page 6

What was the main job of telegraph operators like Herr Müller for Reuter's News Wire Service?

Choices

  1. To gather information from key cities.
  2. To print newspapers for subscribers.
  3. To transmit messages across distances using Morse code. ✓
  4. To decode messages that had been received.

Answer: To transmit messages across distances using Morse code.

From page 7

What new concept was created thanks to Reuter's News Wire Service?

Choices

  1. Slow news for calm reading.
  2. Detailed editorial processes for newspapers.
  3. 'Breaking news' for up-to-the-minute reports. ✓
  4. Limitations based on geographical distance.

Answer: 'Breaking news' for up-to-the-minute reports.

From page 8

Which other news agencies did Reuter's form alliances with to expand its global network?

Choices

  1. Sterling and Davies.
  2. Havas in France and Wolff in Germany. ✓
  3. Müller and Schmidt.
  4. Wilhelm and Hoffmann.

Answer: Havas in France and Wolff in Germany.

From page 9

According to Ms. Anya Sharma, what core principle from Reuter's time still guides news operations today?

Choices

  1. Using pigeons to deliver news quickly.
  2. Reliable, rapid dissemination of facts. ✓
  3. Focusing only on economic news like cotton prices.
  4. Exclusively using telegraph lines for communication.

Answer: Reliable, rapid dissemination of facts.

From page 10