Name: _____________________________
Nonfiction Reading Test
The Streisand Effect

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow. Refer to the text to check your answers when appropriate.

The California Coastal Records Project formed in 2002. Its founders, Kenneth and Gabrielle Adelman, took aerial photos of the coastline. They wanted to document erosion. They posted these pictures on their website. In 2003, famous singer Barbara Streisand sued the Adelmans for 50 million dollars.

Barbara Streisand sued the Adelmans because they posted a photo of her Malibu home. She and her lawyers felt that this violated her privacy. The image with Streisand's home is known as "Image 3850." Streisand and her lawyers demanded that the Adelmans remove "Image 3850." The Adelmans did not comply. They countersued Streisand.

Before Streisand filed suit, "Image 3850" had only been downloaded six times. Two of those downloads were from Streisand's own attorneys. Almost no one in the world had seen "Image 3850" until the lawsuit became a media story. In the next month, people viewed "Image 3850" more than 420,000 times. Streisand's attempt to protect her privacy had backfired.

Streisand tried to suppress something on the Internet. Trying to hide information from people on the Internet often creates greater interest. This social phenomenon is now known as the Streisand effect.  When people feel that information is being kept from them, this motivates them to access it. Almost no one wanted to view photos of Streisand's home, until they learned that she didn't want them to see it.

Image 3850
Copyright (C) 2002 Kenneth & Gabrielle Adelman, California Coastal Records Project, www.californiacoastline.org

Imagine that you are sitting in your classroom. The teacher whispers something in your classmate's ear. The student's eyes widened with surprise. Don't you want to know what the teacher said? Imagine that the teacher pointed out the window and said, "Don't look over there!" You might be motivated to do the opposite. This is called psychological reactance. The Streisand effect works in this way.

Streisand failed to limit peoples' access to "Image 3850." Spectacularly. And she lost in court too. Her lawsuit was dismissed and she was ordered to pay the Adelman's legal fees. This amounted to $155,567. Was there a better way for her to have minimized the loss of her privacy? How should she have responded to the Adelman's website?

1. Why did the Adelmans post a photo of Streisand's house on the Internet?
a) They were selling photos of famous peoples' houses.
b) They wanted to annoy Streisand.
c) They were trying to get money from Streisand.
d) They were documenting coastal erosion.

2. Which best describes the author's purpose in the second paragraph?
a) He is arguing that the Adelmans should have removed "Image 3850."
b) He is describing how the California Coastal Records Project formed.
c) He is explaining the background of the lawsuit.
d) He is characterizing Barbara Streisand as a villain. 

3. How did the Adelmans respond to Streisand's demands to remove "Image 3850"?
a) They removed the photo from their site.
b) They blurred out Streisand's home in their photo.
c) They snuck into Streisand's home and photographed the inside.
d) They sued Barbara Streisand.

4. What effect did Streisand's lawsuit have on the viewership of "Image 3850"?
a) Fewer people viewed "Image 3850"
b) Many more people viewed "Image 3850"
c) About the same amount of people viewed "Image 3850"
d) People stopped viewing "Image 3850" entirely

5. With which statement would the author most likely DISAGREE?
a) Suing people is a good way to hide information from the Internet.
b) Suing people for posting will draw attention to the post.
c) Streisand sued the Adelmans for 50 million dollars.
d) A court ruled that the Adelmans did not violate Streisand's privacy.

6. Which best explains why the author included the fifth paragraph and chose this style?
a) He wants to inform readers about ways that teachers secretly communicate.
b) He wants readers to imagine how the Streisand effect works in their lives.
c) He wants to tell a story about a typical day at school.
d) He wants to change the subject because he is bored with Barbara Streisand.

7. Which best defines the Streisand effect?
a) Famous people cannot expect privacy.
b) The best things in life are free.
c) Trying to suppress information may draw attention to it.
d) Suing people is only worthwhile if you win.

8. Which event happened LAST?
a) "Image 3850" was downloaded 420,000 times in a month.
b) The Adelmans took pictures of the coastline.
c) Barbara Streisand sued the Adelmans.
d) Barbara Streisand paid the Adelman's' legal fees. 

9. What lesson can readers learn from this text?
a) The most effective way to stand up for yourself is to silence others.
b) Everyone is guaranteed total privacy under the law.
c) Ignoring something unpleasant may be the best way to make it go away.
d) Coastal erosion is a serious problem that affects everybody.

10. With which statement would the author most likely AGREE?
a) Streisand WON in court and SUCCEEDED in protecting her privacy.
b) Streisand LOST in court and FAILED to protect her privacy.
c) Streisand LOST in court but SUCCEEDED in protecting her privacy.
d) Streisand WON in court but FAILED to protect her privacy.

1. Why did Streisand's efforts to protect her privacy backfire? Use information from the text to explain your answer. 

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

2. What should Streisand have done if she didn't want a lot of people to see "Image 3850"? Why would that have been better than her legal strategy? 

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________