Chapter 7 Test Bank
7.1 Multiple-Choice Questions
1. Which would likely be considered as a “triggering” event?
A) a new product launch
B) new house purchase
C) going grocery shopping
D) your CEO getting a head cold
2. Which of the following is a possible objective for a communicator?
A) accurate message dissemination
B) message development
C) change in covert behavior
D) semantic and cognitive competence
3. The most effective two-way communication is
A) chat rooms/threaded discussions on the web.
B) two people talking to each other.
C) small group discussions.
D) parent and child interaction.
4. A problem with communication occurs as the audience gets broader because
A) of cognitive dissonance.
B) the message may undergo distortion.
C) feedback is immediate.
D) a lack of symmetry.
5. Passive audiences need messages that have
A) logical conclusions.
B) reinforcement of their dispositions.
C) concrete duality.
D) style and creativity.
6. Audience attention is highest at
A) the beginning of the message.
B) the end of the message.
C) the crux of the message.
D) public reaction to the message.
7. This technique is where one begins a message with a statement that reflects audience
values and predispositions.
A) channeling
B) triggering
C) sleeper effect
D) uses and gratification
8. What are the most common symbols for us?
A) road signs
B) words
C) religious icons
D) logos
9. Jargon essentially revolves around a problem in
A) speech pattern.
B) semantics.
C) devices or equipment.
D) writer/speaker cognition.
10. Which of the following is a euphemism?
A) secretary
B) pre-owned
C) dishwasher
D) blind
11. The condition wherein there is decreased tendency over time to reject material
presented by an untrustworthy source is known as
A) message entropy.
B) cognitive dissonance.
C) spiral of silence.
D) sleeper effect.
12. Why is context important?
A) because actions speak louder than words
B) because companies don’t necessarily have to do what they say they will do
C) because hype words are ineffective without it
D) because it makes things easier to understand
13. The theory/perspective that focuses largely on messages contrary to one’s
predispositions is
A) cultivation analysis.
B) sleeper effect.
C) cognitive dissonance.
D) agenda setting.
14. Why is repetition necessary?
A) because our environment is filled with distractions
B) because of the sleeper effect
C) because it gives the message a relative advantage.
D) because most people aren’t smart.
15. Everett Rogers’ famous work is
A) The Great Communicator.
B) Declaration of Principles.
C) Diffusion of Innovation.
D) The Engineering of Consent.
16. According to Rogers, these individuals are often skeptical and somewhat resistant but
eventually bow to peer pressure.
A) early adopters
B) late majority
C) laggards
D) early majority
17. Word-of-mouth campaigns are often controversial for their
A) resistance of new media techniques.
B) stealth nature.
C) political overtones.
D) lack of research.
18. Mass media have the most influence in what stages of the adoption process?
A) awareness and interest
B) awareness and trial
C) evaluation and trial
D) interest and evaluation
19. Which is NOT an aspect of the Decision-Making Unit?
A) competitive advantage
B) personality variables
C) communication behavior
D) socioeconomic concerns
20. The natural tendency for a message to dissipate (lose information) is called
A) semantic noise.
B) cognitive dissonance.
C) entropy.
D) disassembly.
1. The goals of communication are to persuade passive publics, with “mutual
understanding” being a lesser emphasis for the practitioner.
2. Attitude change and change in overt behavior are difficult objectives for the
communicator because of outside factors/variables.
3. Wilbur Schramm’s communication model was later adapted to include the concept of
“Shared experience.”
4. The “media uses and gratification” theory of communication has a premise of a passive
audience who depend heavily on persuasion devices.
5. Style and creativity are most necessary for an active audience.
6. Audience attention is generally highest at the beginning of a message.
7. A cliché is an inoffensive word or phrase that is less direct and less distasteful than the
one that represents reality.
8. The decreased tendency over time to reject material presented by an untrustworthy
source is known as cognitive dissonance.
9. Seeing an advertisement is an example of the “interest stage” of the adoption process.
7.3 Essay Questions
1. Read several websites for both nonprofit and corporate organizations. Identify “no-
no’s” in writing, such as clichés, euphemisms, and hype words, and try to replace with
Page Ref: 184-185
2. Note a specific, long-standing tradition or ideal that is prevalent at your university
and/or in your town or hometown? What is that tradition/ideal, and note specific elements
that could be changed for the better? Starting with the concept of “relative
advantage“,
Page Ref: 189-190