In the second paragraph, the writer implies that The Gutenberg Galaxy...The ideas which were to make McLuhan famous were already taking shape in some of his earlier works. In his book The Gutenberg Galaxy, McLuhan strived to show that any type of innovation, from alphabetic writing to the printing press to electronic media, should be regarded as an extension of ourselves. Through these extended senses and abilities, the tools of communication affect the way individuals’ minds are organised, and this in turn has an impact on society as a whole. McLuhan even went so far as to suggest that a society’s religious or political trends are profoundly influenced by the introduction of a new form of communication technology.(2 Points)A - contained early versions of some of McLuhan’s ideas.B - expressed widely-held views on religion and politics.C - was entirely responsible for making McLuhan famous.D - explained the superiority of modern electronic media.

What is suggested about Marshall McLuhan’s theories in the first paragraph?In the twentieth century, television and radio became the dominant media through which people consumed information and entertainment. How did these new media affect society? How did they influence the future of communication? One of the most influential figures with respect to these questions was the Canadian philosopher of communication Marshall McLuhan (1911–1980). More than just an academic thinker and writer, McLuhan was an example of a new phenomenon – the public intellectual. Not always without controversy, McLuhan often appeared on television and radio, the very media that he sought to understand and explain through his theories.(2 Points)A - They were widely criticised by other academics.B - They resulted from his experience in broadcasting.C - They helped make McLuhan a household name.D - They are no longer generally accepted by scholars.

In the last paragraph, what does the writer mention about Marshall McLuhan?Despite his impact on the study of media and popular culture, many of McLuhan’s ideas were criticised, particularly following his death in 1980. However, interest in the popular thinker’s theories grew once again in the 1990s. This was in part due to the appearance of the Internet, a phenomenon that McLuhan had predicted forty years earlier when he coined the phrase ‘the Global Village’.(2 Points)A - He was one of the inventors of the Internet.B - His works have fallen out of favour.C - His theories continue to be relevant.D - The Internet helped spread his theories.

In paragraph 6, it is stated that...Similarly, for McLuhan, just as a hammer can be seen as an extension of our arms, the ‘medium’ – language or television for example – can be regarded as an extension of our senses, but with an important difference. Whereas senses bring information to us, media extend outward from us, affecting other people and the world around us. Consequently, ‘the medium is the message’, as McLuhan saw it, means that we can understand something we create (the medium) by looking at the changes it causes (the message.)(2 Points)A - change is more important than what caused it.B - media make us powerful, but limit our senses.C - the message can cause the medium to change.D - examining change helps us know our creations.

n paragraph 5, why does the writer mention a play?McLuhan defines ‘message’ as the change that new innovation introduces into society. Thus, it is not the content or use of the innovation that McLuhan was interested in, but rather the change that the innovation brings with it. For instance, the message of theatrical production is not the story of the play or musical, but how it affects society, perhaps by causing an increase in tourism or creating employment. The message of a particular play might be the change in attitude that the production causes in the audience, but not the plot or characters. A McLuhan message tells us to look for the less obvious effects that are enhanced or accelerated by the new technology.(2 Points)A - to show how ‘the message’ disappears over timeB - to illustrate the meaning of a confusing termC - to prove that McLuhan’s theories are trueD - to demonstrate a flaw in McLuhan’s theory

According to paragraph 3, the phrase ‘the medium is the message’McLuhan’s views regarding communication media crystallised in his 1964 book Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. This work is often reduced to the commonly quoted phrase ‘the medium is the message’, yet ironically, this is one of the most misunderstood phrases of the twentieth century. Many people believe that ‘the medium’ refers to the mass media, whether it be television, radio or the Internet, and that ‘the message’ means the content or information carried by the mass media. When people put these two ideas together, they mistakenly jump to the conclusion that ‘the medium is the message’ means that the medium is much more important than the content it carries, or that McLuhan meant that content was inconsequential. McLuhan’s point is both more subtle and more interesting.(2 Points)A - was not invented by McLuhan.B - is both widely used and misjudged.C - states that content is not important.D - was a criticism of the mass media.