But is it really possible for a person—even a Goreacle—to transform himself so radically? There’s no doubt
that some things have changed about Al Gore since 2000. He has demonstrated inner strength, rising from
an excruciating defeat that would have crushed many men. Beyond that, what has changed is that he now
speaks directly to the public; he has neither the patience nor the need to go through the media.
Eight years ago, in the bastions of the “liberal media” that were supposed to love Gore—The New York
Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, CNN—he was variously described as “repellent,”
“delusional,” a vote-rigger, a man who “lies like a rug,” “Pinocchio.” Eric Pooley, who covered him for Time
magazine, says, “He brought out the creative-writing student in so many reporters.… Everybody kind of let
loose on the guy.”
How did this happen? Was the right-wing attack machine so effective that it overwhelmed all competing
messages? Was Gore’s communications team outrageously inept? Were the liberal elite bending over
backward to prove they weren’t so liberal?
Eight years later, journalists, at the prompting of Vanity Fair, are engaging in some self-examination over
how they treated Gore. As for Gore himself, for the first time, in this article, he talks about the 2000
campaign and the effect the press had on him and the election. (In the interest of full disclosure, I should
say that my father, Martin Peretz, was his teacher at Harvard and is an ardent, vocal Gore backer. I
contributed to his campaign in February 1999.)
How does he feel about it all? “I feel fine,” he says, “but, when I say that, I’m reminded of a story that Cousin
Minnie Pearl used to tell about a farmer who was involved in an accident and sued for damages.” To
paraphrase, at the trial the lawyer for the driver of the other car cross-examined the farmer, saying, “Isn’t it
true that right after the accident, you said, ‘I feel fine’?” The farmer said, “Well, it’s not that simple,” before
going on to explain that the other car rammed into his car throwing both him and his cow from the vehicle.
When a highway patrolman came by and saw the cow struggling, he shot him between the eyes. The
farmer continued, “The patrolman then came to my side and said, ‘How do you feel?’… so I said, ‘I feel
fine.
The media began the coverage of the 2000 election with an inclination not so different from that demonstrated
in other recent elections—they were eager for simple, character-driven narratives that would sell papers
and get ratings. “Particularly in presidential elections … we in the press tend to deal in caricatures,” says
Dan Rather, who was then anchoring for CBS. “Someone draws a caricature, and it’s funny and at least
whimsical. And at first you sort of say, ‘Aw shucks, that’s too simple.’ In the course of the campaign, that
becomes accepted wisdom.” He notes, “I do not except myself from this criticism.”
In 2000, the media seemed to focus on a personality contest between Bush, the folksy Texas rogue, and,
as The New York Times referred to Gore, “Eddie Haskell,” the insincere brownnoser from Leave It to
Beaver. ABC anchor Claire Shipman, who covered the 2000 campaign for NBC, says, “It was almost a
drama that was cast before anyone even took a good look at who the candidates were.”
17. Which of the following can be most conclusively inferred from the passage regarding the behaviour
of the media in presidential elections?
(a) The media wants quick simple caricatures of the presidential candidates which creates an
effective tussle between the two candidates running for elections.
(b) The media often jumps to simplistic and superficial character based profiles of presidential
candidates without bringing out their indepth qualities.
(c) The media wants simple caricatures of presidental candidates as these simple caricatures get
easily digested by common people and become key selling points for the candidates.
(d) The media wants funny and whimsical caricatures of the presidential candidates for the sole
reason that these create a dramatic effect in the elections.
18. Which one of the following best captures the purpose of Gore mentioning the farmer’s story in the
passage?
(a) To explain that Gore has not completely recovered from his debacle in the 2000 presidential
election.
(b) To show that Gore went through a lot of trouble like the farmer before he said that he was fine.
(c) To explain that it is important to understand the whole series of events that transpired before
Gore said that he was fine.
(d) To show that Gore went through a lot of mistreatment by the media and now he has forgiven the
media for that.
19. Which of the following best describes the central theme of the passage?
(a) To critically examine Al Gore’s representation in the media in the 2000 election.
(b) To update the readers on what has happened to Al Gore since the 2000 US presidential election.
(c) To discuss the role that the media plays in shaping our perception of important events like
presidential elections.
(d) To explain how the media’s portrayal of a personality can influence that person’s life.
20. What can be inferred as a reason for the author to quote Dan Rather?
A. To give an example of a person who vilified Al Gore.
B. To explain why the press acted as it did in the 2000 election.
C. To cite an example of the media’s self examination of its portrayal of Al Gore.
(a) A and B (b) Only B (c) B and C (d) A and C
that some things have changed about Al Gore since 2000. He has demonstrated inner strength, rising from
an excruciating defeat that would have crushed many men. Beyond that, what has changed is that he now
speaks directly to the public; he has neither the patience nor the need to go through the media.
Eight years ago, in the bastions of the “liberal media” that were supposed to love Gore—The New York
Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, CNN—he was variously described as “repellent,”
“delusional,” a vote-rigger, a man who “lies like a rug,” “Pinocchio.” Eric Pooley, who covered him for Time
magazine, says, “He brought out the creative-writing student in so many reporters.… Everybody kind of let
loose on the guy.”
How did this happen? Was the right-wing attack machine so effective that it overwhelmed all competing
messages? Was Gore’s communications team outrageously inept? Were the liberal elite bending over
backward to prove they weren’t so liberal?
Eight years later, journalists, at the prompting of Vanity Fair, are engaging in some self-examination over
how they treated Gore. As for Gore himself, for the first time, in this article, he talks about the 2000
campaign and the effect the press had on him and the election. (In the interest of full disclosure, I should
say that my father, Martin Peretz, was his teacher at Harvard and is an ardent, vocal Gore backer. I
contributed to his campaign in February 1999.)
How does he feel about it all? “I feel fine,” he says, “but, when I say that, I’m reminded of a story that Cousin
Minnie Pearl used to tell about a farmer who was involved in an accident and sued for damages.” To
paraphrase, at the trial the lawyer for the driver of the other car cross-examined the farmer, saying, “Isn’t it
true that right after the accident, you said, ‘I feel fine’?” The farmer said, “Well, it’s not that simple,” before
going on to explain that the other car rammed into his car throwing both him and his cow from the vehicle.
When a highway patrolman came by and saw the cow struggling, he shot him between the eyes. The
farmer continued, “The patrolman then came to my side and said, ‘How do you feel?’… so I said, ‘I feel
fine.
The media began the coverage of the 2000 election with an inclination not so different from that demonstrated
in other recent elections—they were eager for simple, character-driven narratives that would sell papers
and get ratings. “Particularly in presidential elections … we in the press tend to deal in caricatures,” says
Dan Rather, who was then anchoring for CBS. “Someone draws a caricature, and it’s funny and at least
whimsical. And at first you sort of say, ‘Aw shucks, that’s too simple.’ In the course of the campaign, that
becomes accepted wisdom.” He notes, “I do not except myself from this criticism.”
In 2000, the media seemed to focus on a personality contest between Bush, the folksy Texas rogue, and,
as The New York Times referred to Gore, “Eddie Haskell,” the insincere brownnoser from Leave It to
Beaver. ABC anchor Claire Shipman, who covered the 2000 campaign for NBC, says, “It was almost a
drama that was cast before anyone even took a good look at who the candidates were.”
17. Which of the following can be most conclusively inferred from the passage regarding the behaviour
of the media in presidential elections?
(a) The media wants quick simple caricatures of the presidential candidates which creates an
effective tussle between the two candidates running for elections.
(b) The media often jumps to simplistic and superficial character based profiles of presidential
candidates without bringing out their indepth qualities.
(c) The media wants simple caricatures of presidental candidates as these simple caricatures get
easily digested by common people and become key selling points for the candidates.
(d) The media wants funny and whimsical caricatures of the presidential candidates for the sole
reason that these create a dramatic effect in the elections.
18. Which one of the following best captures the purpose of Gore mentioning the farmer’s story in the
passage?
(a) To explain that Gore has not completely recovered from his debacle in the 2000 presidential
election.
(b) To show that Gore went through a lot of trouble like the farmer before he said that he was fine.
(c) To explain that it is important to understand the whole series of events that transpired before
Gore said that he was fine.
(d) To show that Gore went through a lot of mistreatment by the media and now he has forgiven the
media for that.
19. Which of the following best describes the central theme of the passage?
(a) To critically examine Al Gore’s representation in the media in the 2000 election.
(b) To update the readers on what has happened to Al Gore since the 2000 US presidential election.
(c) To discuss the role that the media plays in shaping our perception of important events like
presidential elections.
(d) To explain how the media’s portrayal of a personality can influence that person’s life.
20. What can be inferred as a reason for the author to quote Dan Rather?
A. To give an example of a person who vilified Al Gore.
B. To explain why the press acted as it did in the 2000 election.
C. To cite an example of the media’s self examination of its portrayal of Al Gore.
(a) A and B (b) Only B (c) B and C (d) A and C
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