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Indicate whether the statement is true or false.
1. The happiest dating and married partners feel that they do not invest equally in their relationship compared to their
partner.
a. True
b. False
2. Commitment is a decision to remain in a relationship rather than a feeling.
a. True
b. False
3. Communication climate is unimportant in online contexts.
a. True
b. False
4. In interpersonal relationships, it is as important to affirm and accept yourself as to affirm and accept others.
a. True
b. False
5. Of the many influences that shape relationships, four that are particularly critical for building and sustaining satisfying
personal relationships are investment, commitment, trust, and comfort with relational dialectics.
a. True
b. False
6. Communication climate is the overall feeling or emotional mood between people: warm or cold, safe or anxious,
comfortable or awkward, accepting or rejecting, open or guarded—that is shaped by verbal and nonverbal interaction
between people.
a. True
b. False
7. Understanding communication climates will give you insight into why you feel relaxed and comfortable in some of
your relationships and uneasy and defensive in others.
a. True
b. False
8. Communication researchers report that evaluative communication evokes defensiveness.
a. True
b. False
9. Most people feel defensive when others use neutral, rather than empathetic, communication with them.
a. True
b. False
10. According to John Gottman, the “magic ratio” for a happy relationship is to have at least five pleasant interactions for
every one unpleasant interaction.
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a. True
b. False
11. Reciprocity of self-disclosures is more important after a relationship has become established than it is in the early days
of the relationship.
a. True
b. False
12. Failing to acknowledge another person’s feelings or thoughts disconfirms him or her.
a. True
b. False
13. Investments are what we put into relationships that we could not retrieve if the relationship were to end.
a. True
b. False
14. The factors that shape our relationships are universal across the cultures of the world.
a. True
b. False
15. In general, men and women self-disclose with equal frequency and depth.
a. True
b. False
16. The only way to reap the benefits of your investments into a relationship is to stick with it.
a. True
b. False
17. Most relationships are either fully confirming or fully disconfirming, and few relationships fall in between.
a. True
b. False
18. When we disagree with someone, we disconfirm her or him.
a. True
b. False
19. Happy and confirming relationships should feature openness rather than closedness.
a. True
b. False
20. A good first step in responding constructively to criticism is to seek more information.
a. True
b. False
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Indicate the answer choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
21. Achieving closeness through doing is best illustrated by which of the following activities?
a. Telling each other personal details of their lives
b. Talking through problems together
c. Going to ball games together
d. Talking about the relationship and what it means
e. Supporting each other verbally
22. The counterpoint to control is
a. description.
b. provisionalism.
c. spontaneity.
d. problem orientation.
e. equality.
23. Mari and her partner respond to the tension between autonomy and connection in their relationship by deciding to
work together on their garden and work separately on their exercise programs. This response to relational dialectics is
called
a. separation.
b. neutralization.
c. voice.
d. neglect.
e. reframing.
24. When communicating with a person with a disability, all of the following are generally accepted guidelines EXCEPT:
a. speak directly to the person.
b. try to position yourself at eye level if a person uses a wheelchair or scooter.
c. provide assistance without asking.
d. do not lean on a person’s wheelchair as this may be an invasion of personal space.
e. don’t use childish language with people who have no mental disability.
25. Which statement does NOT provide good advice for sustaining a confirming climate?
a. Actively use communication to build confirming climates.
b. Accept and validate others.
c. Affirm and assert yourself.
d. Respect diversity in relationships.
e. Ignore criticisms.
26. Marge says to Homer, “I don’t want to hear it; you cannot change my mind.” These statements illustrate
a. description.
b. provisionalism.
c. spontaneity.
d. problem orientation.
e. certainty.
27. The counterpoint to evaluation is
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a. description.
b. provisionalism.
c. spontaneity.
d. problem orientation.
e. equality.
28. Research indicates that in general the LEAST effective and LEAST satisfying response to the tension generated by
relational dialectics is to
a. honor one need and ignore the other.
b. compromise to meet both needs somewhat but to meet neither need completely.
c. meet each need sequentially, first one and then the other.
d. consider both needs as not being in opposition.
e. bring in a third party, such as a therapist, to help address the tension.
29. The counterpoint to superiority is
a. description.
b. provisionalism.
c. empathy.
d. problem orientation.
e. equality.
30. Giving priority to one dialectal need and neglecting the other is known as
a. neutralization.
b. separation.
c. selection.
d. reciprocal.
e. aggression.
31. Ethnocentrism is one form of ________ communication.
a. certainty
b. problem-oriented
c. effective
d. strategic
e. neutral
32. Which type of communication is confirming because it feels open, honest, and unpremeditated?
a. Description
b. Provisionalism
c. Spontaneity
d. Problem orientation
e. Equality
33. The counterpoint to neutrality is
a. description.
b. provisionalism.
c. empathy.
d. problem orientation.
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e. equality.
34. All of the following are forms of confirming communication EXCEPT:
a. description.
b. provisionalism.
c. empathy.
d. strategy.
e. equality.
35. The strongest level of confirmation is
a. endorsement.
b. acknowledgment.
c. recognition.
d. evaluation.
e. description.
36. The counterpoint to strategy is
a. description.
b. provisionalism.
c. spontaneity.
d. problem orientation.
e. equality.
37. “I really know a lot more about this than you do, so you should listen to me.” This comment is an example of
communication that
a. describes the situation.
b. claims superiority of the speaker.
c. expresses a tentative conclusion.
d. demonstrates empathy.
e. focuses on problem solving.
38. According to relationship counselors, the most central and continuous tension in the majority of close relationships
arises from which of the following dialectical tensions?
a. Novelty/predictability
b. Commitment/love
c. Trust/dependence
d. Openness/closedness
e. Autonomy/connection
39. Which type of communication involves openness to other points of view?
a. Description
b. Provisionalism
c. Spontaneity
d. Problem orientation
e. Equality
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40. ________ in interpersonal relationships involves believing in another person’s reliability and emotionally relying on
that person.
a. Climate
b. Investment
c. Love
d. Commitment
e. Trust
41. Chris says he loves Betsy, but he’s not sure they have a future together. Chris’s feelings toward Betsy indicate he
loves her but isn’t
a. committed.
b. independent.
c. trusting.
d. self-disclosing.
e. autonomous.
42. The most basic form of confirmation in interpersonal communication is
a. agreeing with another person.
b. recognizing another person exists.
c. acknowledging what another person feels.
d. accepting what another person feels and thinks as valid.
e. acknowledging what another person thinks.
43. Tabitha wants some time alone because she feels a need to get in touch with herself as an individual. However, her
partner wants them to spend as much time together as possible. The tension in this example illustrates the ________
relational dialectic.
a. novelty/predictability
b. commitment/love
c. trust/dependence
d. openness/closedness
e. autonomy/connection
44. Explain three types of disconfirming communication and their confirming counterparts. Be sure to provide examples
of each type of communication.
45. Distinguish between love and commitment. Then explain how each is communicated and how it affects relationships
between people.
46. Baxter (1990) has identified four ways partners handle the tension generated by opposing needs. Name and give an
example of each way partners negotiate dialectical tensions.
47. Building on the research of Buber, communication scholars have identified three levels of communication that
(dis)confirm others. Distinguish among the three levels by providing a definition and an example of a disconfirming and
confirming statement for each level.
48. Using Gibb’s categories of communication behaviors, describe the climate of this class. Be sure to include specific
examples of each type of communication you perceive as affecting the classroom climate.
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49. Discuss five of the guidelines for confirming communication with people with disabilities.
50. Discuss the four features that research indicates are characteristic of satisfying close relationships. After identifying
each feature, explain and illustrate how it is communicated between people.
51. Explain the differences among aggression, assertion, and deference. Also, provide examples of each.
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Answer Key
1. False
2. True
3. False
24. c
25. e
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26. e
42. b
43. e
44. Answers will vary. Refer to Table 8.3 on p. 237 and the accompanying discussion on p. 237–243.
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