Interpretation

• A. The literal meaning of every word.
• B. The meaning YOU take from media; different people can read the same thing differently.
• C. A fixed universal truth about a text.
• D. The production team’s intent.

Answer: (B)

Interpreting media means understanding that meaning isn’t fixed or universal. The best choice captures that the meaning you take from media can vary because different people bring different experiences, cultures, and contexts to what they read or watch. The same scene, article, or ad can evoke different interpretations, emotions, or conclusions for different audiences. For example, a political ad might feel persuasive to one viewer and manipulative to another, depending on their background and beliefs.

This view doesn’t deny that words and images exist; it just recognizes that how we understand them is shaped by our perspectives. Other options pull in directions that aren’t about interpretation itself: reading the literal words alone misses tone and context; claiming there’s a fixed universal truth ignores how readers of the same text can disagree; and focusing on the production team’s intent highlights creators’ aims but doesn’t account for how audiences decode messages differently.