Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer to each of the following questions from 31 to 40.
Who are you?
On 6 June 2011, the media reported the kidnapping of a female Syrian-American blogger called Amina Arraf. Regarded as a daring political rebel, the 35-year-old had gained popularity for her blogs protesting the lack of freedom in Syria. Yet, only two days later, it was discovered that Amina had never existed. She was a fictional character created by Tom MacMaster, a forty-year-old American PhD student at the University of Edinburgh.
MacMaster's invention is an example of sock puppetry: the use of false identities to deceive others. (I). The false identity is known as a sock puppet, and its creator, a puppet master. (II). MacMaster created Amina to express his views on Middle Eastern affairs without offending other Americans. (III). Writing as Amina gave him the authority to say what he wanted. (IV).
At the turn of the millennium, Debbie Swenson created Kaycee Nicole, a fictional teenage girl suffering from terminal cancer. Her blog, Living Colours, described Kaycee’s struggle, attracting millions of readers. When Kaycee 'died' on 14 May 2001, her fans were devastated. Their distress turned to anger when they discovered that Kaycee was not real. Swenson had developed the character to gain attention and sympathy.
While Amina and Kaycee were used to meet their creators' needs, other identities have been invented for profit. American gun advocate John Lott made up a fake student, Mary Rosh, to defend his writing online and give him positive reviews. Mystery writer RJ Ellory fabricated a team of sock puppets to praise his own books and tear into those of his rivals. British historian Orlando Figes lost credibility when he had to publicly apologise for doing the same.
Yet none of these stories compare to large-scale sock puppetry today. The New York City Police Department has false identities on social media to catch criminals. The US military is believed to use sock puppets to track potential terrorists. It is clear that the internet is a minefield today and we all have to step very carefully in order not to get hurt.
Which of the following is OPPOSITE in meaning to "fictional"?
