PRSA APR EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2025
You are responsible for an internal employee newsletter. A freelance photographer provides several
photos you intend to use in the next issue. Your supervisor quickly reviews and approves the newsletter
before leaving for an extended vacation. You are nearing your deadline and in final preparation of the
files, you notice fine print copyright information by the photographer in the corner of the images. Which
one of the following is the best course of action?
A) This is work for hire so you can follow the directive of your supervisor and proceed with publication of
the newsletter.
B) Contact the freelance photographer directly to get verbal approval for publication.
C) Coordinate with your legal counsel to review the contract terms before taking further action.
D) Include the copyright information from the photographer in the photo caption and proceed with
publication of the newsletter. - (ANSWER)C) Coordinate with your legal counsel to review the contract
terms before proceeding with publication. (EPR 10th, pgs 157-158 and PR: S&T 10th, pgs 302-303)
You are the public relations manager at a automotive manufacturer, reporting to the company
president. Your company is about to announce an expansion, which will be a major economic boost for
the community, at a press conference. Your boss would like to share some additional details about the
acquisition "off the record" with several community partners following the press conference at a VIP
event, which some media may attend. What counsel would you offer your boss?
1. We trust our partners and this will improve our community relations
2. It is acceptable to share these details if we inform the audience that what we share is off the record
3. It is acceptable to share these details if reporters do not attend the event
4. You should never share things off the record unless you really want it t get out - (ANSWER)4. You
should never share things off the record unless you really want it t get out
(EPR p.231)
Which of the following two statements are correct in order for you to use these photos in ads?
,PRSA APR EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2025
A. The company hired and paid the photographer for the professional event photos and owns them for
future use.
B. These photos can only be used if the photographer has provided written permission to reproduce the
event photos beyond the original purpose of an internal newsletter.
C.The employees and family members photographed must have a signed consent release to have their
photos used in an ad for the company.
D. Company employees are not required to sign releases, but their family members would need to have
signed releases to be used in the ads - (ANSWER)B. These photos can only be used if the photographer
has provided written permission to reproduce the event photos beyond the original purpose of an
internal newsletter.
C.The employees and family members photographed must have a signed consent release to have their
photos used in an ad for the company.
Reference: Public Relations Strategies and Tactics (10th ed): Page 298: Photo Releases and Page 302:
Photography and Artwork.
As the internal communications officer of a large corporation, You've discovered numerous unofficial
newsletters being published and emailed to 3,000 employees without your knowledge. On further
investigation you discover in each newsletter a national ad appeared with the copyright symbol listed,
but with digital modifications made to each ad changing the color and size. What three significant
copyright laws were violated here?
A. Downloading materials from the Internet, Fair Use, and Statutory Copyright
B. Product Publicity, Photography & Artwork, Copyright Act
D. Common law copyright, Fair Use Doctrine, and Infringement
E. Trademark Infringement, Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), and Copyright Infringement. -
(ANSWER)E. Trademark, Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), and Copyright Law.
(APR Study Guide, pgs. 105-107)
,PRSA APR EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2025
You assign your intern the job of finding a royalty free image to illustrate a blog. She brings back a great
photo - it's from BING images.
What law do you talk to her about?
A) Copyright
B) Plagiarism
C) Slavish copyright
D) Defamation - libel - (ANSWER)A. the image on Bing may be copyrighted, you need to show her how to
check.
Plagiarism is when you pass off someone's else's work as your own or without attribution; Slavish
copyright is when you copy word for word, and defamation-libel is when you disseminate a public
falsehood about a person or organization.
Jonah Lehrer, the 31 year old wunderkind author of Imagine, was recently fired from the New Yorker. He
was caught for several violations - made up quotes including one attributed to Bob Dylan. A Dylan
scholar hounded him for the source and Jonah had to confess he made it up. The publisher of
Wired.com hired a journalism professor to review his work for authenticity. The professor discovered
Lehrer paraphrased without attribution and some of his conclusions were found to be from the work of
another scientist.
Which of the above are violations of copyright?
A) Making up quotes
B) Paraphrasing without attribution
C) Copying another scientist's work for his own book - (ANSWER)Correct answer: C.
a is unethical, b is plagiarism.
Your new employee forgot to get an intern to sign a release form for her photo for the annual report. He
also secretly recorded a phone conversation with a client that he was afraid would turn confrontational.
, PRSA APR EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2025
As you debate whether to keep this employee in your agency, you have him write an essay on which of
the following torts? Choose 2.
A) Public disclosure
B) False Light
C) Intrusion
D) Appropriation - (ANSWER)Correct answer - C & D.
Secretly recording a conversation is a violation of intrusion and using a person's image or name without
their permission is Appropriation.
a is embarrassing facts or pictures that come out in public and B is when a truthful statement is out of
context and puts a person or organization in a misleading context.
Your public relations department wants to share a magazine article from another nonprofit organization
with your members. For which of the following scenarios would you need to obtain permission from the
copyright owner to share the article? (Choose 3.)
A) If you email the article to the members of your organization
B) If you send the members of your organization a link to the article on the other organization's website
C) If you distribute the article to the members of your organization at its annual meeting
D) If you reprint the article in your organization's newsletter - (ANSWER)A, C, D
[From Cutlip & Center's Effective Public Relations, 11th ed., p. 140]
While looking for material for the next round of commercials, a campaign staffer hands you a transcript
containing unflattering information about the opponent and illicit affairs he's had with several women
other than his wife. The staffer said that this information was overheard by a former staffer of the
opponent while at a local bar. Which would be the most ethical choice in this situation for handing the
information you were given?
1. You can use the information because there is no reasonable expectation of privacy at a bar.
You are responsible for an internal employee newsletter. A freelance photographer provides several
photos you intend to use in the next issue. Your supervisor quickly reviews and approves the newsletter
before leaving for an extended vacation. You are nearing your deadline and in final preparation of the
files, you notice fine print copyright information by the photographer in the corner of the images. Which
one of the following is the best course of action?
A) This is work for hire so you can follow the directive of your supervisor and proceed with publication of
the newsletter.
B) Contact the freelance photographer directly to get verbal approval for publication.
C) Coordinate with your legal counsel to review the contract terms before taking further action.
D) Include the copyright information from the photographer in the photo caption and proceed with
publication of the newsletter. - (ANSWER)C) Coordinate with your legal counsel to review the contract
terms before proceeding with publication. (EPR 10th, pgs 157-158 and PR: S&T 10th, pgs 302-303)
You are the public relations manager at a automotive manufacturer, reporting to the company
president. Your company is about to announce an expansion, which will be a major economic boost for
the community, at a press conference. Your boss would like to share some additional details about the
acquisition "off the record" with several community partners following the press conference at a VIP
event, which some media may attend. What counsel would you offer your boss?
1. We trust our partners and this will improve our community relations
2. It is acceptable to share these details if we inform the audience that what we share is off the record
3. It is acceptable to share these details if reporters do not attend the event
4. You should never share things off the record unless you really want it t get out - (ANSWER)4. You
should never share things off the record unless you really want it t get out
(EPR p.231)
Which of the following two statements are correct in order for you to use these photos in ads?
,PRSA APR EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2025
A. The company hired and paid the photographer for the professional event photos and owns them for
future use.
B. These photos can only be used if the photographer has provided written permission to reproduce the
event photos beyond the original purpose of an internal newsletter.
C.The employees and family members photographed must have a signed consent release to have their
photos used in an ad for the company.
D. Company employees are not required to sign releases, but their family members would need to have
signed releases to be used in the ads - (ANSWER)B. These photos can only be used if the photographer
has provided written permission to reproduce the event photos beyond the original purpose of an
internal newsletter.
C.The employees and family members photographed must have a signed consent release to have their
photos used in an ad for the company.
Reference: Public Relations Strategies and Tactics (10th ed): Page 298: Photo Releases and Page 302:
Photography and Artwork.
As the internal communications officer of a large corporation, You've discovered numerous unofficial
newsletters being published and emailed to 3,000 employees without your knowledge. On further
investigation you discover in each newsletter a national ad appeared with the copyright symbol listed,
but with digital modifications made to each ad changing the color and size. What three significant
copyright laws were violated here?
A. Downloading materials from the Internet, Fair Use, and Statutory Copyright
B. Product Publicity, Photography & Artwork, Copyright Act
D. Common law copyright, Fair Use Doctrine, and Infringement
E. Trademark Infringement, Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), and Copyright Infringement. -
(ANSWER)E. Trademark, Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), and Copyright Law.
(APR Study Guide, pgs. 105-107)
,PRSA APR EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2025
You assign your intern the job of finding a royalty free image to illustrate a blog. She brings back a great
photo - it's from BING images.
What law do you talk to her about?
A) Copyright
B) Plagiarism
C) Slavish copyright
D) Defamation - libel - (ANSWER)A. the image on Bing may be copyrighted, you need to show her how to
check.
Plagiarism is when you pass off someone's else's work as your own or without attribution; Slavish
copyright is when you copy word for word, and defamation-libel is when you disseminate a public
falsehood about a person or organization.
Jonah Lehrer, the 31 year old wunderkind author of Imagine, was recently fired from the New Yorker. He
was caught for several violations - made up quotes including one attributed to Bob Dylan. A Dylan
scholar hounded him for the source and Jonah had to confess he made it up. The publisher of
Wired.com hired a journalism professor to review his work for authenticity. The professor discovered
Lehrer paraphrased without attribution and some of his conclusions were found to be from the work of
another scientist.
Which of the above are violations of copyright?
A) Making up quotes
B) Paraphrasing without attribution
C) Copying another scientist's work for his own book - (ANSWER)Correct answer: C.
a is unethical, b is plagiarism.
Your new employee forgot to get an intern to sign a release form for her photo for the annual report. He
also secretly recorded a phone conversation with a client that he was afraid would turn confrontational.
, PRSA APR EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 2025
As you debate whether to keep this employee in your agency, you have him write an essay on which of
the following torts? Choose 2.
A) Public disclosure
B) False Light
C) Intrusion
D) Appropriation - (ANSWER)Correct answer - C & D.
Secretly recording a conversation is a violation of intrusion and using a person's image or name without
their permission is Appropriation.
a is embarrassing facts or pictures that come out in public and B is when a truthful statement is out of
context and puts a person or organization in a misleading context.
Your public relations department wants to share a magazine article from another nonprofit organization
with your members. For which of the following scenarios would you need to obtain permission from the
copyright owner to share the article? (Choose 3.)
A) If you email the article to the members of your organization
B) If you send the members of your organization a link to the article on the other organization's website
C) If you distribute the article to the members of your organization at its annual meeting
D) If you reprint the article in your organization's newsletter - (ANSWER)A, C, D
[From Cutlip & Center's Effective Public Relations, 11th ed., p. 140]
While looking for material for the next round of commercials, a campaign staffer hands you a transcript
containing unflattering information about the opponent and illicit affairs he's had with several women
other than his wife. The staffer said that this information was overheard by a former staffer of the
opponent while at a local bar. Which would be the most ethical choice in this situation for handing the
information you were given?
1. You can use the information because there is no reasonable expectation of privacy at a bar.
