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Answer Key
1. A
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1. Which of the following is one of the three general speech purposes?
A) to inform
B) to entertain
C) to inspire
D) to motivate
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2. To analyze the speech situation, we must know the reasons we are speaking and the
constraints associated with the speech. Which of the following is a constraint?
A) the occasion for the speech
B) the speech topic
C) the size of the audience
D) the audience’s interest in the topic
3. At what point in the speech writing process should you create a specific purpose
statement?
A) after completing research
B) after determining the general speech purpose
C) before selecting a speech topic
D) after writing a thesis statement
4. When brainstorming to determine a speech topic, you should
A) narrow your ideas as quickly as possible.
B) write down your ideas.
C) imagine the audience’s response.
D) ignore the constraints of the speaking situation.
5. Which of the following types of brainstorming involves drawing a diagram of related
concepts?
A) concept mapping
B) word association
C) free association
D) visualization
6. How can research be used to help identify a speech topic?
A) It can reveal an existing concept map.
B) It can provide brainstorming assistance.
C) It can inspire curiosity about subjects.
D) It can help us to represent related concepts visually.
7. Which of the following types of speech is a eulogy?
A) commemorative
B) persuasive
C) celebratory
D) informative
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8. Which of the following speech purposes refers to increasing the audience’s awareness on
a topic?
A) education
B) persuasion
C) celebration
D) concept mapping
9. If you are showing someone how to make an omelette, what is your general speech
purpose?
A) to demonstrate
B) to persuade
C) to celebrate
D) to inform
10. Daneel is giving a speech to try to get more college students to vote. The general purpose
of her speech is to
A) entertain.
B) inform.
C) celebrate
D) persuade.
11. Which of the following specific purpose statements would be most appropriate for a
speech whose primary objective is to inform?
A) “To convince my listeners to stop using plastic straws”
B) “To demonstrate the appropriate way to hold a cello bow”
C) “To acknowledge the contributions of CEO Kallie Newhouse during her tenure at
TechKnow”
D) “To increase support for increasing taxes to pay for road maintenance”
12. Compared with speeches given for a classroom assignment, public speaking and
professional speaking typically are associated with
A) less time to prepare.
B) fewer speech constraints.
C) more homogeneous audiences.
D) an increased use of visual aids.
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13. Ava is evaluating the speech situation for her upcoming speech. Which of the following
questions should she ask herself at this stage?
A) “What is the purpose of my speech, and what constraints do I need to be aware of?”
B) “What specific topics do I have the greatest interest in that are also relevant to me?”
C) “Who is my audience, and what topics will they be most interested in?”
D) “What topics have the most supporting resources available, or can I serve as an
expert in the topic?”
14. The fundamental purpose of speaking is to build
A) excitement.
B) suspense.
C) a sense of community.
D) terminal values.
15. Which of the following is a single sentence that refers to the main purpose and topic of
the speech?
A) thesis statement
B) general purpose
C) specific purpose statement
D) research question
16. Which of the following examples represents body language?
A) saying “hello” to each person who enters the room
B) speaking loudly and confidently
C) using a person’s name when talking to him or her
D) making changes to the speech outline right before the speech
17. Which of the following techniques did Sigmund Freud develop to help his patients
overcome shyness and begin talking about their lives?
A) outlining
B) metacognition
C) concept mapping
D) free association
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18. Which of the following terms describes digging through materials, usually printed or
online, in search of information, background, and context for something that you want to learn
more about?
A) visualization
B) free association
C) concept mapping
D) research
19. Cooper is having trouble deciding what to focus on for his speech. His main topic is
music, so he writes the word music on a piece of paper. He then writes bands, the next word that
comes to mind. He continues, writing brass, New Orleans, and jazz. Which of the following
techniques is Cooper using?
A) outlining
B) metacognition
C) concept mapping
D) free association
20. You go to a natural history museum for speech topic inspiration. This is a form of
A) free association.
B) research.
C) concept mapping.
D) relationship exploring.
21. One reason that speakers need to pick a speech topic that is important to them is that
A) most speakers do not have sufficient knowledge about topics they are not interested
in.
B) speakers who are interested in a topic are more likely to convey body language that
excites the audience.
C) an audience similar to the speaker is more likely to be interested in the topic.
D) speakers are less likely to review, edit, and practice a speech on a topic that is not of
interest to them.
22. During brainstorming, Myrta becomes stuck. She decides to use free association and
populates an entire page of seemingly unrelated words. What should Myrta do next?
A) Ask herself what the words have in common.
B) Determine which word interests her most.
C) Decide which word best relates to her audience’s interests.
D) Write a purpose statement using the words that are most appealing.
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23. Which of the following must you do before writing your thesis statement?
A) Write the central idea.
B) Create a concept map.
C) Determine your purpose for speaking.
D) Free associate among related words.
24. Which of the following is a term for letting your mind wander through ideas?
A) thesis writing
B) brainstorming
C) determining specific purpose
D) outlining
25. Which of the following should you do after determining a topic area?
A) Narrow your topic.
B) Write down your ideas.
C) Discern the tools at your disposal.
D) Determine what interests you most.
26. Which of the following would be considered a primary element of your speech situation?
A) gender of the audience
B) size of the room where you will speak
C) reason for the speech
D) your interest level in the topic
27. Ryan needs to determine a speech topic. He writes down everything he thinks of but
quickly becomes frustrated and overwhelmed. Ryan could more productively brainstorm speech
ideas if he had
A) a list of good topics.
B) rough guidelines.
C) interesting hobbies.
D) demographic information.
28. You see a magazine at your doctor’s office that talks about specialized diets for people
with kidney disease. You become curious and begin searching terms from the article on your
smartphone. What are you engaging in?
A) research
B) concept mapping
C) free association
D) web surfing
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29. Which of the following thesis statements would be appropriate for a speech celebrating
the engagement of your friends Emily and Chuck?
A) “We are here together for Emily and Chuck.”
B) “Emily and Chuck deserve our best wishes and support in their future together.”
C) “I want to inform everyone of Emily and Chuck’s accomplishments.”
D) “I want to persuade everyone that Emily and Chuck should be celebrated.”
30. “To teach my classmates how to pack forty items of clothing in a carry–on bag” is an
example of
A) an informative general purpose statement.
B) an informative specific purpose statement.
C) a persuasive general purpose statement.
D) a persuasive specific purpose statement.
31. The purpose of brainstorming is to
A) generate ideas.
B) identify the speech situation.
C) focus on the audience’s interests.
D) unbottle writer’s block.
32. Originally, the meaning of the concept of invention was a noun that described
A) letting your mind wander.
B) finding something.
C) solving a problem.
D) stumbling on an idea.
33. A collection of materials on a given topic or person is called
A) a library.
B) an archive.
C) a museum.
D) an anthology.
34. Which of the following words would be in the center of a concept map?
A) extreme weather events
B) California wildfires
C) climate change
D) rain forest
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35. Which of the following adjectives best describes the process of brainstorming?
A) preplanned
B) logical
C) involuntary
D) free-form
36. The purpose for a speech is also called
A) the exigency.
B) the central idea.
C) the speech situation.
D) speech constraints.
37. The term invention in the context of speech writing refers to the _____ of a speech.
A) organization
B) delivery
C) rehearsal
D) development
38. Which of the following is a visual technique used to think about the relationships
between ideas?
A) concept mapping
B) specific purpose statement
C) research
D) free association
39. A concept map explores the _____ associated with an idea, a concept, or an object that
may bring topics to the surface.
A) definitions
B) relationships
C) research
D) words
40. A thesis statement is sometimes referred to as a
A) central idea.
B) specific purpose statement.
C) research question.
D) concept map.
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41. Having a rough set of guidelines may help you select a
A) thesis statement.
B) speech topic.
C) speech situation.
D) speech constraint.
42. Which brainstorming method is based on a technique used by Sigmund Freud with his
psychotherapy patients?
A) Concept mapping
B) Research
C) Specific purpose statement
D) Word association
43. Speech topics should be of interest to both the speaker and the audience. Which of the
following can help you consider where your interests and the audience’s interests intersect?
A) audience analysis
B) social norms
C) generalizations
D) research
44. Ellen needs to present a speech to a group of professional women at a conference. She is
considering topics that she is interested in, such as gaining mentors, eliminating gender biases in
the workplace, and improving work-life balance. Which of the following pieces of information
would help Ellen select the topic most appropriate for this situation?
A) the estimated size of the audience
B) the overall theme of the conference
C) controversies related to her topic ideas
D) the social norms associated with her topic ideas
45. When you pick a speech topic, you should have a _____ feeling about the topic.
A) neutral
B) negative
C) strong
D) positive
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46. Which of the following parts of the speech planning process is also stated aloud in your
presentation?
A) specific purpose statement
B) concept map
C) thesis statement
D) list of words from free association
47. The most important factor when choosing a topic for your speech is
A) your knowledge about a topic.
B) the speech situation.
C) the audience’s interest in the topic.
D) your interest in the topic.
48. Which of the following is an example of a persuasive specific purpose statement?
A) “To encourage my peers to invest in their retirement accounts”
B) “To explain the phases of matter”
C) “To bring friends together to celebrate my brother’s wedding”
D) “To teach my classmates how gum disease develops”
49. Which of the following is an example of a celebratory specific purpose statement?
A) “To acknowledge the extraordinary life of my grandfather on his eightieth birthday”
B) “To teach a small group of peers the appropriate method of making a quesadilla”
C) “To convince kindergarteners to consume vegetables”
D) “To convince high school seniors to attend my college”
50. Which of the following is an example of an informative specific purpose statement?
A) “To encourage college students to vote in the next election”
B) “To bring my grandmother’s friends together to celebrate her life”
C) “To increase the audience’s understanding of heart disease causes”
D) “To urge my coworkers to support my fund–raising event”
51. Which of the following is an example of how speech situation can constrain your
speech?
A) You choose to speak about baseball to an audience you know enjoys watching
baseball.
B) You avoid talking about discretionary income to a room of senior citizens who are
on fixed incomes.
C) You read through old magazines at a library containing advertisements to prepare
for a speech about advertising.
D) You enjoy sewing, so you decide to speak to your audience about a whip stitch.
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52. Which of the following is an example of a specific purpose statement meant to persuade?
A) “To toast the birth of my new nephew with my family”
B) “To increase my friends’ knowledge of lifestyle factors that cause heart disease”
C) “To teach a small group of peers how to make scrambled eggs”
D) “To convince kindergarteners to consume vegetables”
53. Which of the following experiences is the LEAST likely to cause an audience to find a
speech uninteresting or irrelevant?
A) the time of day the speech is given
B) the person’s unconscious thoughts
C) the other audience members’ attitudes
D) the person’s belief that the topic is not important
54. Ideas usually catch on because they are
A) tied to feelings.
B) logical and well-reasoned.
C) well-researched.
D) plausible.
55. What question does the general speech purpose answer?
A) when
B) how
C) what
D) why
56. Luis has used free association to generate a page of words. Which of the following
questions should he ask himself next?
A) “How will this fit with my purpose statement?”
B) “Which of these would interest my audience most?”
C) “What do these words have in common?”
D) “Which of these has the narrowest focus?”
57. Maria has created a list of possible speech topics that she finds interesting. Which of the
following basic questions should she consider before making a decision about her topic?
A) “Which topics will be the easiest to research?”
B) “Which topics will be interesting and relevant to my audience?”
C) “Which topics do I have the most knowledge about?”
D) “Which topics are least controversial?”
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58. “To convince my classmates to vote for me for student government president” is an
example of
A) a persuasive general purpose.
B) an informative general purpose.
C) a persuasive specific purpose.
D) an informative specific purpose.
59. After you have determined why you are giving the speech, which of the following basic
questions should you ask yourself?
A) “What topics are interesting and relevant to me?”
B) “What topics will be interesting and relevant to my audience?”
C) “What is the speaking situation?”
D) “What topic do I have the most knowledge about?”
60. Nathan has been asked to give a presentation to his biology class on the history of the
scientific method. What is Nathan’s general purpose?
A) to inform
B) to persuade
C) to celebrate
D) to inspire
61. Which of the following is the first basic question you should ask yourself when
determining a speech topic?
A) “What topics are interesting and relevant to me?”
B) “What topics will be interesting and relevant to my audience?”
C) “What is the speaking situation?”
D) “Where am I giving the speech?”
62. John is considering giving a speech about the importance of having emotional
intelligence when managing others. You ask him why he selected this topic. He answers, “I
don’t know. I have seen a lot of articles about this recently.” He asks your advice about his topic.
What is the best response?
A) “Select something else. You don’t seem to have much interest in this topic.”
B) “Select something else. This topic is already being covered by many others.”
C) “Keep this topic. It appears to be of high interest to many audiences.”
D) “Keep this topic. You may become interested as you learn more about it.”
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63. Olivia is in the early stages of writing a speech. She has determined why she is giving a
speech and what constraints she might have to contend with. Which question should she
consider next?
A) “What topics do I find interesting?”
B) “What topics have not been covered by others?”
C) “What topics are most likely to be controversial?”
D) “What topics do I have the most knowledge about?”
64. The thesis statement is not stated in your speech.
A) true
B) false
65. A specific purpose statement is a detailed paragraph that explains the specific topic and
goal of your presentation.
A) true
B) false
66. A thesis statement is typically a single sentence that expresses the topic and purpose of a
speech.
A) true
B) false
67. All speaking situations have common contexts and constraints.
A) true
B) false
68. It is not necessary to write down your ideas during the brainstorming process.
A) true
B) false
69. Invention is the second step of speech creation.
A) true
B) false
70. Because a topic is interesting to you, it will be interesting to your listeners.
A) true
B) false
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71. The general purpose of a speech is either to inform, to persuade, or to celebrate.
A) true
B) false
72. Beyond the words you actually say, your body language can also express how you feel
about a speech topic.
A) true
B) false
73. Your individual speech situation is the most important factor to consider when choosing
a topic and crafting the mood of your speech.
A) true
B) false
74. In nearly every speech situation, it will be necessary to narrow your speech topic.
A) true
B) false
75. Body language includes the use of gestures when speaking.
A) true
B) false
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Answer Key
1. A
2. C
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