Instructor’s Manual and Test Bank for Essentials of Human Communication, Eighth Edition
CHAPTER 9: SMALL GROUP COMMUNICATION
Multiple Choice Questions
1)
Which of the following statements about
small groups is true?
A)
All groups have some type of organization among them.
B) Not all groups have a common purpose shared by members.
C) A small group consists of two or more people.
D)
Small group members do not necessarily see themselves as a group.
2)
Which of the following is the best example of a small group?
A)
commuters waiting for a train at a train station
B) neighbors waiting for children to get off a school bus
C) friends who run into each other at a bar
D)
a university committee charged with building community on campus
3)
Which of the following statements concerning teams is true?
A)
Teams do not necessarily have specific purposes.
B) Team members have clearly defined roles.
C) Teams are always larger than small groups.
D)
Team members can have different goals.
4)
Which of the following is not typical of a team?
A)
Teams are constructed for a specific purpose.
B) Team members’ roles are interchangeable.
C) Team members all have the same goal.
D)
Teams are generally content focused.
5)
The stages of small group interaction are similar to the stages of
A)
relationship development. C)
the listening process.
B)
the perceptual process. D)
a conversation.
6)
The small group format where the members are “experts,” where the discussion is informal, and where
the audience may freely interject comments or questions is called a
A)
round table. C)
symposium.
B)
panel. D)
symposium-forum.
7)
The members of XYZ Corporation arrange themselves in a circular or semicircular pattern and share
relevant information or attempt to solve problems without any set pattern of identifying who speaks
when. These members are using the small group format known as the
A)
roundtable. C)
symposium.
B)
panel. D)
symposium-forum.
8)
At a convention of the National Communication Association, one session consists of three speakers
who each deliver a relatively prepared presentation, much like a public speech. After the speeches are
presented, the audience asks questions of the speakers. This convention session most clearly follows the
format known as the
A)
roundtable. C)
symposium.
B)
panel. D)
symposium-forum.
9)
The forum part of a symposium-forum small group is the
A)
asking and answering of audience questions.
B) presentation of relatively prepared speeches.
C) use of experts as members of the group.
D)
interaction of group members without any set pattern as to who speaks when.
10)
It didn’t take Matthew long to realize that everyone takes longer than the prescribed one hour for
lunch at his new company. Now Matthew’s lunch is over an hour like everyone else. In this instance, “a
longer lunch” is an example of a group
A)
norm. C)
ideal.
B)
goal. D)
structure.
11)
The diversity committee at State U. is a long-standing, high-context culture committee with a stable
membership. During the first meeting of the year, Sam, a relatively new member of the group, asks, “What
are the plans for fall orientation?” Given the high-context culture of the group, which of the
following will most likely be a response Sam will receive?
A)
We will have a special meeting at the end of the month to brainstorm ideas. We will appoint a
subcommittee to draw up a schedule and deadlines for tasks, and proceed from that schedule.
B) We’ll probably do the same thing we did last year.
C)
We will need to consult with the students who will be involved to get their input before we proceed. Then
we can work on making a schedule and setting deadlines.
D)
That’s the next thing on our agenda. Let’s get busy deciding on a schedule, activities, and deadlines.
12) Which of the following is true concerning brainstorming?
A)
It allows for the generation of a limited number of ideas.
B) It calls for the evaluation of each idea as it is presented.
C)
It encourages creativity.
D)
It occurs in three phases.
13)
To discover how a target audience might react to a new ad campaign, marketing executives
A)
brainstorm among themselves.
B)
conduct focus groups.
C) brainstorm with marketing executives from other firms.
D)
start the campaign and then poll people on its effectiveness.
14)
Vasilios finds it difficult to stand up for himself and his beliefs at work. Vasilios’s employer may
suggest that Vasilios attend one of these groups to help him over this problem:
A) an encounter group
B) a consciousness-raising group
C) an assertiveness training group
D) an intervention group
15) When a group engages in a brainstorming period, members should not
A)
be informed of the issue to be discussed before the brainstorming session.
B)
contribute as many ideas as they can during the brainstorming session.
C)
freewheel.
D)
criticize ideas as they come up.
16)
If the primary purpose of a small group is to acquire new information or skills through the sharing of
knowledge, the group would most clearly be a(n)
A)
idea-generation group.
B)
problem-solving group.
C)
small group culture.
D)
educational or learning group.
17) According to your text, which is the BEST way to define a problem?
A)
as an open-ended question C)
as a yes/no question
B)
as a statement D)
as a compound statement
18) Dewey’s problem-solving process starts with the following steps:
A)
definition and analysis of the problem and generation of possible solutions
B) definition of the problem and generation of possible solutions
C)
definition and analysis of the problem and establishment of criteria for evaluating solutions
D)
definition of the problem and identification and evaluation of possible solutions
19)
In this decision-making method, group members voice their feelings and opinions, but the final
decision is made by the boss or leader.
A)
authority
B)
consensus
C)
majority rule
D)
autocratic.
20)
When problem-solving at work, what is the method that uses limited group discussion and
confidential voting to obtain a group decision?
A) quality circles C) the Delphi method
B) the nominal group technique D) Dewey’s problem solving sequence
True/False Questions
1)
People riding in the same car of a commuter train constitute a small group.
2)
The establishment of formal rules is an essential aspect of the definition of a small group.
3)
Work groups may cause greater small group apprehension than working with a group of friends.
4)
In the roundtable format, a series of prepared presentations are formally presented.
5)
Group norms are rules or standards identifying which behaviors are appropriate and inappropriate.
6)
Members of work groups in high-context cultures spend a lot of time getting to know one another
before engaging in small group interaction.
7)
Evaluation of ideas during the brainstorming period itself is encouraged.
8)
When establishing criteria for evaluating solutions, consider only realistic, attainable criteria.
9)
Personal growth groups are aimed at helping companies conduct market research.
10)
The encounter group or “sensitivity group” tries to foster members’ abilities to deal effectively with other
people.
Completion Questions
1)
A small group is a relatively small number of individuals who share
__________ and have
__________
2)
The
__________ is a particular type of small group whose members have clearly defined roles and is
constructed for a specific task.
3)
One of the rules of a brainstorming session is that there is no
__________ of ideas.
4)
The diversity committee at State U. has decided to have a symposium-forum regarding hate speech on
campus. As such, the presentation will consist of __________ followed by __________
5)
The six steps of the problem-solving process are:
1.
__________, 2. __________, 3. __________, 4. __________, 5. __________, 6. __________
6)
It took the history faculty at State U. two hours to make a decision concerning who they would hire
for a new position. The decision was not final until all the faculty members agreed they could live with
this hiring decision. The history faculty at State U. used the
__________ method of decision-making.
7)
The communication department faculty met as a group to make the decision whether or not to add
the new course in intercultural communication. When the department agreed to add the class, they went
ahead and submitted their decision to the vice president. The vice president then vetoed adding the class
to the college catalog. The method of decision-making used by the vice president is decision by
__________
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Instructor’s Manual and Test Bank for Essentials of Human Communication, Eighth Edition
Matching Sequence
Match the example to the small group communication term that best describes it.
1) a team composed of XYZ Company employees A) brainstorming
who are investigating new ways to handle
shipping and handling
2) people recruited from a shopping mall to view B) symposium
a new advertising campaign for a candy bar
and offer their opinions concerning the
effectiveness of the advertisement
3) members of the research and development C) quality circle
division of a company meet in order to
generate as many new product ideas as
possible, no matter how wild the ideas may be
4) John and his friends meet every week at D) focus group
Starbucks just to chat and relax
5) a group of environmental researchers making E) relationship or social
formal presentations followed by question-and-
answer sessions concerning global warming