Chapter 4: Nonverbal Communication
Essay Questions
1. Provide one example of a nonverbal cue that has a variety of meanings, and describe the multiple meanings that the cue evokes.
Answer: Answers will vary.
Bloom’s level: Understand
2. Provide one example of how the same meaning is communicated by a number of nonverbal cues.
Answer: Answers will vary.
Bloom’s level: Understand
3. Explain the concept of kinesics by giving behavioral examples of this nonverbal code.
Answer: Answers will vary.
Bloom’s level: Understand
4. Explain the concept of kinesic nonverbal cues by giving examples of behaviors included in the concept.
Answer: Answers will vary.
Bloom’s level: Understand
5. Reveal how assessing another person’s unique behavior and considering the context can help to interpret nonverbal communication.
Answer: Answers will vary.
Bloom’s level: Understand
6. How are liking, status, and responsiveness exhibited in nonverbal communication?
Answer: Answers will vary.
Bloom’s level: Remember
7. Provide an example of an emblem, an illustrator, an affect display, a regulator, and an adaptor.
Answer: Answers will vary.
Bloom’s level: Understand
8. Explain proxemics by including the related concepts of territoriality and personal space.
Answer: Answers will vary.
Bloom’s level: Understand
9. Hall defined four distances regularly used by people. Name and explain the four distances, and state what is likely to occur at each distance.
Answer: Answers will vary.
Bloom’s level: Remember
10. What is tactile communication, and why is the concept important in communication situations?
Answer: Answers will vary.
Bloom’s level: Understand
11. Name and explain at least five kinds of vocal cues.
Answer: Answers will vary.
Bloom’s level: Understand
12. What is the importance of object language to communication?
Answer: Answers will vary.
Bloom’s level: Understand
13. Explain how you can improve your nonverbal communication.
Answer: Answers will vary.
Bloom’s level: Understand
14. Identify and explain four of the six ways in which nonverbal communication works in conjunction with verbal communication.
Answer: Answers will vary.
Bloom’s level: Remember
True/False Questions
15. When communicating with an American, it is important to keep in mind that a greater emphasis is placed on nonverbal messages as compared
to verbal messages.
4-2
© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
16. Our use of time can be an indication of personality, status, or culture.
17. Vocal cues have no persuasive effect; nor do they convey information about the speaker’s character.
18. The study of nonverbal communication includes symbols that are not words as well as nonword sounds that convey meaning.
19. Kinesics is the study of posture, movement, gestures, and facial expression.
20. With nonverbal communication you need to assess the other person’s unique behavior and consider the context to make a better
interpretation.
21. People are objectively aware of their own and each of their partner’s physical attractiveness.
22. When I wave “hello” to someone in the distance, I am using a nonverbal cue called an illustrator.
23. A nonverbal move that controls communication, such as starting to move away from a person, is an example of a nonverbal cue called an
adaptor.
24. Audiences who can see the speaker’s nonverbal behavior understand more of the message than audiences who cannot.
25. Men claim more space for themselves than small people and women.
26. According to Hall’s categories, standing four to twelve feet from another is called public distance.
27. Appropriate distance is culturally determined.
28. Male children receive more touching from their mothers than do female children.
29. The least touching occurs between fathers and sons.
30. The amount of touching that takes place between people varies depending on the nation in which they live.
31. Paralinguistic features of vocal cues are called “nonverbal” even though they include nonword sounds.
32. A woman who wears an engagement ring, a sorority pin, and an expensive gold bracelet is communicating nonverbally through artifacts.
4-3
© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
Bloom’s level: Understand
33. Proxemics is the study of pronunciation and articulation in nonverbal communication.
34. In nonverbal communication we use the same cue to communicate a number of different meanings.
35. In nonverbal communication we use a variety of cues to communicate the same meaning.
36. People who view their work as fast-paced tend to have less job satisfaction.
37. Tattoos are perceived similarly for both men and women.
38. He acts very interested in her, stands close, looks deep into her eyes, and brings her drinks during the party. She observes his words and
actions and dares to believe that he is falling in love with her on this first meeting. Which of the following questions would an expert on
nonverbal communication not ask?
a. Is this behavior typical of him; that is, does he do it to someone at every party?
b. Is this party a context that makes this type of behavior typical?
c. Are his verbal and nonverbal behaviors consistent with each other?
d. Why shouldn’t I just go home with this guy? All the nonverbal cues indicate interest and sincerity.
39. Two men are arguing at the bar when the smaller one says something unkind about the other’s mother. The bigger fellow glares straight
ahead at his opponent. He is using a nonverbal signal that is best described as being an
a. illustrator.
b. emblem.
c. affect display.
d. adaptor.
40. As the woman shaded her eyes with her open hand on her brow, she said, “Wow, is it ever bright out here.” The nonverbal cue here is
a. an illustrator.
b. an emblem.
c. a regulator.
d. an adaptor.
41. Which of the following is not included in the study of proxemics?
a. distance
b. space
c. sound
d. territoriality
42. Which type of facial expression will likely receive the most attention?
a. neutral
b. happy
c. angry
d. sad
43. At what age do people, on average, begin receiving specialized attention based on physical attractiveness?
a. 1
b. 4
c. 7
d. 10
44. A distance of ten feet between two people talking is what Edward T. Hall referred to as
a. intimate distance.
b. personal distance.
c. social distance.
d. public distance.
45. Which of the following statements about distance is false?
a. Women exhibit discomfort at the small space they are allowed by others.
b. Women and children are given little space in our American culture.
c. Women and children desire more relational closeness than do males in our society.
d. Men tend to take more room because they are usually bigger in height and weight.
46. The study of the use of clothing, tattoos, and automobiles as nonverbal codes is
a. proxemics.
b. chronemics.
c. haptics.
d. objectics.
47. To whom are you the most likely to stand the closest?
a. a state senator from another state
b. a person of the same race
c. a person who is obviously physically handicapped
d. a stranger
48. Which statement about nonverbal use of space is false?
a. Strangely enough, people tend to stand close together in a large space like an auditorium.
b. Strangely enough, people tend to stay farther apart in small places like elevators.
c. Middle-class suburbanites tend to have open backyards, but suburbanites in Latin America tend to have walls.
d. Americans tend to stand much closer to each other than do people from most other countries.
49. Which of the following statements about touch is false?
a. Men value touch more than women do.
b. Fathers touch sons less than mothers do.
c. Female students are touched more than male students.
d. Female children are touched more than male children.
50. Who is more likely to use touch as a means of communicating?
a. a white American from Salt Lake City, Utah
b. a black woman from Puerto Rico
c. an English gentleman from London
d. a Frenchman from Paris.
51. Which of the following are not paralinguistic features?
a. pitch, rate, and inflection
b. volume, voice quality, and silence
c. pronunciation, enunciation, and articulation
d. sounds with meaning and words without meaning
4-5
© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
52. Paralinguistic cues can indicate all of the following except
a. emotional states.
b. personality characteristics.
c. intelligence.
d. physical characteristics.
53. Which of the following findings is true of the relationship between dress and personality?
a. People who dress with comfort in mind tend to be low in self-control and introverted.
b. People who dress in a decorative style tend to be unsociable and intellectual.
c. People who are conformist in dress are expressive, dominant, and unrestrained in social situations.
d. People who conform to current styles seek to be accepted and liked.
54. Which statement about clothing and the perceptions of others is not verified by research?
a. Clothing affects others’ impression of status.
b. Clothing and artifacts are unrelated to how acceptable we find other people to be.
c. Clothing is often cited by women as the most important characteristic when describing another’s popularity.
d. Brightly colored clothing is associated with sophistication, immorality, and physical attractiveness.
55. Communication by touch is called
a. tactile communication.
b. affect displays.
c. territoriality.
d. kinesics.
56. Upon walking into a crowded bar on a Friday night, Daniel begins to get uncomfortable because it is so crowded. There are many people very
close to him and some even bumping into him as they pass. These people are in Daniel’s
a. intimate space.
b. personal space.
c. social space.
d. public space.
57. Kelly is listening intently to her friend, Sheri, talk about her boyfriend who is leaving for a year to serve in the Army. Kelly says
“mmm–hmm” during the conversation to show Sheri that she is listening. She is communicating using
a. kinesics.
b. paralinguistics.
c. objectics.
d. artifacts.
58. The study of nonword sounds that communicate meaning is called
a. kinesics.
b. paralinguistics.
c. objectics.
d. artifacts.
59. As he drove out of the driveway, he saw his wife waving but did not realize that she wanted him to stop to avoid running over the tricycle.
He thought she was just waving good-bye. The problem in this nonverbal episode is that we
a. use a variety of cues to communicate the same meaning.
b. use the same cue to communicate a variety of meanings.
c. have a one-to-one relationship between signal and meaning so that one cue has one meaning.
d. have many ways to say good-bye including handshakes, hugging, and waving.
60. When a person leans forward and has a positive facial expression, he or she is exhibiting the concept of
a. status.
b. chronemics.
c. liking.
d. responsiveness.
61. In reference to chronemics, polychronic people might ___________, whereas monochronic people might ___________.
a. arrive early; leave early
b. arrive and leave early; arrive and leave late
c. leave early; arrive late
d. arrive and leave late; arrive and leave on time or early