Read the following passage carefully and answer questions given at the end as briefly as possible.
Do we realize the extent to which the modern world relies for its opinions on public utterances and the Press? Do we realize how completely we are all in the power of report? Any little lie or exaggerated sentiment uttered by one with a bee in his bonnet, with a principle, or an end to serve, can, if cleverly expressed and distributed, distort the views of thousands, sometimes of millions. Any willful suppression of truth for Party or personal ends can so falsify our vision of things as to plunge us into endless cruelties and follies. Honesty of thought and speech and written word is a jewel, and they who curb prejudice and seek honourably to know and speak the truth are the only true builders of a better life. But what a dull world if we can't chatter and write irresponsibly, can't slop over with hatred, or pursue our own ends without scruple! To be tied to the apron-strings of truth, or coiffed with the nightcap of silence; who in this age of cheap ink and oratory will submit to such a fate?
Report, I would almost say, now rules the world and holds the fate of man on the sayings of its many tongues. If the good sense of mankind cannot somehow restrain utterance and cleanse report, Democracy, so highly vaunted, will not save us; and all the glib words of promise spoken might as well have lain unuttered in the throats of orators. We are always in peril under Democracy of taking the line of least resistance and immediate material profit. The gentleman, for instance, whoever he was, who first discovered that he could sell his papers better by undercutting the standard of his rivals, and, appealing to the lower tastes of the Public under the flag of that convenient expression "what the Public wants," made a most evil discovery. The Press is for the most part in the hands of men who know what is good and right. It can be a great agency for levelling up. But whether on the whole it is so or not, one continually hears doubted. There ought to be no room for doubt in any of our minds that the Press is on the side of the angels.

1. Suggest an appropriate title for the passage.
The Power of Report and the Press

2. Give for each another word, or phrase, of similar meaning which might be used to replace the word in the passage:

• Utterances - Remark
• Sentiment - Opinion/View/Feeling
• Distort - Twist
• Willful - Deliberate/Intentional
• Falsify - Forge
• Curb - Restrain/Suppress
• Vaunted - Praised/Esteemed
• Glib - Smooth/Slick/Shallow/Insincere
• Unuttered - Unspoken
• Material - Wordly/Financial
• Agency - Means
• Leveling up - to increase or improve something

3. What can plunge us into miseries?
The passage suggests that the spread of lies and distorted views through public utterances and the Press can plunge us into endless cruelties and follies. Additionally, the willful suppression of truth for Party or personal ends can also falsify our vision of things, leading to miseries.

4. Explain what is meant by the following phrases as used in the passage:

• With a principle of an end to serve - refers to individuals who have a particular agenda or goal that they are trying to achieve through their words or actions.
• This age of cheap ink and oratory - refers to the present time, where it is relatively inexpensive to print and distribute written materials, and where there are many opportunities for public speaking.
• Undercutting the standard - refers to lowering the quality or value of something in order to sell it more cheaply or to gain an advantage over competitors.
• On the side of the angels - refers to being morally good or righteous.