Beebe, Beebe and Redmond – Interpersonal Communication, 8e Testbank
1) Which of the following is most likely an example of a relationship of choice?
A) coworkers
B) classmates
C) teammate
D) counselor
2) Which of the following is most likely an example of a relationship of circumstance?
A) your lover
B) your friend
C) your physician
D) your classmate
3) Steven and Sean have been friends for a long time, but it is clear that Steven likes to be in
charge and Sean prefers to go along. Which of the following type of relationship best
characterizes their friendship?
A) complementary
B) symmetrical
C) parallel
D) interdependent
4) Francois and Pierre are brothers who are constantly challenging one another. When deciding
what, how, or when to play, they both believe the other should defer to his judgment. What
kind of relationship do they most likely have?
A) complementary
B) symmetrical
C) parallel
D) independent
5) When the decision about where to eat is in question, John usually defers to Phil. On the other
hand, when it comes to which movie to see, John usually makes the decision. John and Phil’s
friendship seems to work that way in general. John is the expert and in charge of some things
and Phil in others. Which of the following best characterizes their friendship?
A) complementary
B) symmetrical
C) parallel
D) dependent
6) Liza and Charles have been friends for quite a while. They argue quite a bit about almost
every decision that has to be made. If Liza wants to see a movie, Charles wants to go to
dinner first. If Charles wants to stay home and watch TV, Liza always wants to do something
else. Which of the following best characterizes the type of relationship they seem to have?
A) complementary
B) interdependent
C) competitive symmetrical
D) parallel
7) Being ________ means that each partner relies fairly equally on the other to meet needs.
A) physically attractive
B) interdependent
C) nearby
D) competent
8) Complementary needs refers to
A) our desire to receive compliments from those to whom we are attracted.
B) when each partner contributes something to the relationship that the other wants or needs.
C) the attraction we have for people who live in close proximity to us.
D) needs determined by the attitudes we have about our strengths and weaknesses.
9) The degree to which relational partners mutually confirm, value, and accept each other’s
sense of self is known as which of the following?
A) a complementary relationship
B) a relationship of circumstance
C) a competitive symmetrical relationship
D) interpersonal intimacy
10) Predicted outcome value theory claims that people are most attracted to
A) relationships that potentially have greater rewards than costs.
B) relationships they believe are most likely to increase their self-concept.
C) people who they predict will like them.
D) relationships where intimacy is most likely.
11) The approach that represents a model of self-disclosure that reflects both breadth and depth
of shared information is
A) the Johari window.
B) implicit personality theory.
C) the communibiological approach.
D) the social penetration model.
12) A highly intimate, close relationship in which a large amount of self-disclosure has occurred
over a wide range of topics would most likely represent ________ of disclosures.
A) a breadth but not depth
B) a depth but not breadth
C) a breadth and depth
D) neither breadth nor depth
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13) Which of the following is the name for the theory that suggests that each of us has our own
boundaries and rules for sharing personal information?
A) symbolic interactionism
B) social penetration
C) communication privacy management theory
D) the Johari window
14) Which of the following elements of interpersonal attraction is most likely to be a source of
long-term maintenance attraction rather than one of short-term initial attraction?
A) physical attraction
B) fashion sense
C) proximity
D) attitude similarity
15) The reciprocal nature of self-disclosure is called the ________ effect.
A) interpersonal
B) dyadic
C) halo
D) circle
16) This dialectical tension concerns our wish to disclose information while maintaining our
Beebe, Beebe and Redmond – Interpersonal Communication, 8e Testbank
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privacy.
A) connectedness versus autonomy
B) predictability versus novelty
C) certainty versus uncertainty
D) openness versus closedness
17) At which stage of relational escalation is physical contact and risky self-disclosure most
likely to first appear?
A) acquaintance
B) exploration
C) intensification
D) intimacy
18) Paul and Henrietta are both aware of a mutual attraction between them. They talk before
class each day, but mostly about how the class is going and what they think about the
teacher. At which stage of relational escalation are they?
A) preinteraction awareness
B) acquaintance
C) exploration
D) intensification
19) Bill and Marilyn have begun to further develop their own language code (idioms and inside
Beebe, Beebe and Redmond – Interpersonal Communication, 8e Testbank
jokes), use fewer words to communicate, and rely more on nonverbal cues including
increased physical contact and decreased physical distance during conversations. At which
stage of relationship escalation are they?
A) exploration
B) intensification
C) intimacy
D) active involvement
20) Rory has realized that she and Boothe seem to increasingly find fault with one another and
engage in coercive conflict. She and Boothe are at which stage of relationship de-escalation?
A) deintensification
B) turmoil or stagnation
C) separation
D) post-separation
21) Helen and Martin, in a relationship for some time, seem to be leading more separate lives and
spending less time as a couple these days. They limit their interactions and don’t see each
other as a best friend or relational partner. They also have begun to divide their property in
terms of what belongs to each of them rather than what is collectively theirs, and they speak
in terms of “you” and “me” rather than “we” and “us.” The two are most likely engaged in
which stage of relational de-escalation?
A) separation
B) stagnation
C) deintensification
D) individualization
22) After her separation from Lisa, Sara has created a public statement for people who ask about
the breakup and has also to come to grips with losing the relationship. Steve Duck calls this
“grave–dressing,” and it occurs at which point in relational de-escalation?
A) individualization
B) separation
C) post-separation
D) turmoil
23) Sylvia is somewhat dissatisfied with her friendship with Sarah, in part because Sarah has
been depressed a lot lately and isn’t as much fun to be around anymore. Sylvia maintains her
friendship with Sarah in spite of these reservations, partly because she feels that over the
years she has known Sarah, Sarah has been there when Sylvia needed her and they have a lot
of history together. According to social exchange theory, which of the following best
explains why Sylvia continues to be friends with Sarah?
A) immediate rewards
B) forecasted rewards
C) cumulative rewards
D) expected rewards
24) Which of the dialectical tensions was found to be the most important in the study of married
couples reported in your textbook?
A) connection versus autonomy
B) predictability versus novelty
C) openness versus closedness
D) fussy versus complacent
25) Brett and Ernie have realized that they are becoming closer as a couple, but they still
appreciate that they are separate individuals and have their own lives outside the relationship.
This is realization is known as
A) reframing.
B) cyclic alternation.
C) recalibration.
D) segmentation.
1) In their relationship, neither Bette nor Sam wants to take control or make decisions. This type
of relationship is known as a competitive symmetrical relationship.
2) In their relationship, Ida and Harold tend to share power and that power tends to shift back
and forth between them, depending on situations. This type of relationship is known as a
parallel relationship.
3) It is in the de-intensification stage that the perspective of the relationship changes from “we”
and “us” to “you” and “me.”
4) According to relational dialectics theory, each pair of tensions is present in every
relationship.
5) Interpersonal intimacy is defined as the degree to which relational partners mutually confirm,
value, and accept each other’s sense of self.
6) Turning points are associated with positive OR negative changes in a relationship.
7) When Alicia found out that Aaron had another girlfriend she didn’t know about, she was hurt
and felt betrayed. Even though Aaron never said there was no one else and they weren’t
officially “exclusive,” Alicia confronted Aaron and said she didn’t want to see him anymore.
This event was a reflective turning point in their relationship.
8) Einar sees Alexandra every day across the room in his history class but has never talked with
her. Einar likes the way Alexandra looks, including the way she dresses and how she wears
her hair. He’s even more attracted to her apparent intelligence and the way she handles
herself in class discussions and during interactions with the instructor. He’d like to know
more about her, so he asks one of his friends about her. Einar, using a passive strategy to
gain information about her, is probably in the preinteraction awareness stage of any
relationship that might develop between them.
9) Relationships of circumstance can also be relationships of choice.
10) Predicted outcome value theory asserts that people assess the potential rewards of a
relationship based upon the possible costs to determine whether or not to invest in developing
a relationship.
11) A person is more likely to be attracted to a next-door neighbor than someone down the block.
12) We tend to like people who like us.
13) Intelligence is a more important predictor of initial attraction in eventual romantic
relationships than in friendships.
14) Filtering is a process in which we increase the number of partners at each stage of relational
development by applying selection criteria that a potential close friend must meet.
15) Looking for clues to validate or invalidate an online claim is called warranting.
1) Name and briefly describe three of the four types of costs and rewards that are considered as
part of social exchange theory.
2) Describe dialectical theory and name and describe the three dialectical tensions.
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3) Name and describe the stages of relational escalation, identifying what happens during each
stage, particularly the self-disclosures that occur at each stage.
4) Name and describe the stages of relational de-escalation and what occurs at each of the
stages, paying particular attention to communication behaviors at each stage.
Beebe, Beebe and Redmond – Interpersonal Communication, 8e Testbank
5) How can the social exchange theory and relational dialectics theory be combined to predict
the future of a relationship?
6) Arrange the five levels of self-disclosure described by John Powell, from the LEAST to the
MOST revealing.
7) What is the difference between a relationship of circumstance and a relationship of choice?
Provide an example of each.
8) How do short-term initial attraction and long-term maintenance attraction differ?
9) How can Meghan explain to Danny what power is in a relationship and how power can
impact a relationship?
10) Describe each of the three types of power relationships in an analysis of which one you think
is best.
