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Part 3
Test Bank
CHAPTER 1
A FIRST LOOK AT INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
1. Chapter One indicates that effective interpersonal communication is strongly linked to good health,
social happiness and career success.
2. The only way we learn who we are is through communication.
3. A lack of social relationships may affect physical health and life span as dramatically as smoking or
a lack of physical activity.
4. The ability to speak and listen effectively can mean the difference between succeeding and failing
in a job.
5. Shared understanding and clarity are the most important goals in achieving successful
communication.
6. The major difference between impersonal communication and interpersonal communication is the
number of people involved.
7. An older professor who forgets what it was like to be a student when he teaches is an example of
how differing environments in the classroom can make understanding difficult.
8. Communication competence is a trait that people either possess or lack.
9. Just as judges instruct juries to disregard some statements made in court, we can reverse or erase
the effects of communication interactions in everyday life.
10. There is no such thing as the “same” message; words and behaviors are different each time they are
spoken or performed.
11. It is impossible to repeat the same communication event.
12. The transactional model of communication suggests that communicators usually send and receive
messages simultaneously.
13. The transactional model represents communication as static—more like a gallery of still
photographs than a motion picture film.
14. We are not communicating when we remain silent.
15. Socially isolated people are much more likely to die prematurely than those with strong social ties.
16. Transactional communication may be compared to dancing due to the involvement needed by each
partner.
17. According to your text, impersonal communication should always be avoided.
18. According to your text, effective communicators are able to establish warm relationships with
everyone they encounter.
19. Your text argues that it is important to react in unique ways to every person we meet and respond to
each as a unique individual.
20. Communication, as the term is used in your text, consists only of messages that a sender
deliberately conveys.
21. It’s impossible to stop communicating.
22. Of the communication models described in your text, the linear model most accurately describes the
interpersonal communication process.
23. We disclose more to people in interpersonal relationships than in impersonal ones.
24. Too much communication can have negative outcomes.
25. As the text points out, your goal should be to become a perfect communicator.
26. All you need to develop good communication skills is common sense.
27. Dyadic communication is communication involving two people.
28. When people communicate, they are often both senders and receivers of messages at the same time.
29. Feeling sad when a close friendship changes or ends is an indicator that interpersonal relationships
are irreplaceable.
30. According to your text, your goal should be to have as many interpersonal communication
experiences as possible.
31. According to your text, the axiom “the more communication the better” is true.
32. Your text promises that if you communicate skillfully enough, you should be able to solve every
problem you encounter.
33. In impersonal communication we treat others as unique individuals.
34. Fortunately, just knowing about a communication skill makes us able to put it into practice.
35. Almost all verbal messages have a content dimension as well as convey relational information.
36. Research has shown that communicating through social media has had an overall negative effect on
interpersonal relationships.
37. Electronic communication does not serve as a replacement for face-to-face relationships.
38. The asynchronous nature of social media provides convenient opportunities for us to be in touch
with people in our busy lives.
39. Living in a multicultural world has affected our need for different ways of communicating.
40. Occupation and sexual orientation are types of co-cultures.
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41. Communicating successfully with people from different cultural backgrounds only requires using
the same exact elements of competence we use with people in our own country.
42. Judging others because of cultural differences may negatively effect our communication with them.
43. Your text defines communication competence as effective communication where one’s goals are
achieved in a way that, ideally and in most cases, maintains or enhances the relationship in which it
occurs.
44. A competent communicator will choose the same way of responding to others, no matter what the
situation, if the response was successful in the past.
45. Seeing a situation from multiple points of view is called self-monitoring.
46. An environment refers only to the physical location where someone is when communicating.
47. Communication competence seeks to be either effective or appropriate.
48. Disinhibition is one of the challenges presented by social media.
49. The principle “communication is irreversible” doesn’t apply to communication through social
media because we can physically delete our posts.
50. Acquiring as many “friends” as we can on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter ensures
that we will have many qualitatively interpersonal relationships.
51. According to the authors, people who are well-acquainted are less likely to misunderstand each
other than relative strangers.
52. Studies show that poor communication was the root of over 60 percent of reported medical errors
that led to serious physical injury, psychological trauma, and even death.
53. Some research shows that acquiring a higher education can increase your chances of developing
larger and more diverse social networks.
54. Social isolation is so undesirable that prisoners of war have reported that they would rather “have
the worst companion than no companion at all.”
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55. Communication via social media can increase the quantity but not the quality of our relationships.
56. Although many scholars disagree about the definition of communication, most would agree that
communication centers around using messages to generate meaning.
57. A growing body of research is decidedly proving that social media is a growing threat to the quality
of interpersonal relationships.
58. When we communicate for pleasure, affection, companionship, escape, relaxation or control, we are
satisfying our identity needs.
59. According to Chapter One, all of the following are attributes needed to communicate successfully
with people from different cultures except
a. motivation
b. tolerance for ambiguity
c. friendliness
d. open-mindedness
e. knowledge and skill
60. In Chapter One, sociolinguist Deborah Tannen claims that
a. electronic mail can deepen the quality of relationships.
b. electronic mail makes interpersonal communication more impersonal.
c. everyone prefers face to face communication rather than electronic mail.
d. relationships cannot be maintained using electronic mail.
e. all of the above are claimed by Tannen.
61. In the Looking at Diversity reading in Chapter One, Igor Ristic says that effective intercultural
communication
a. means understanding which customs are “right” and “wrong.”
b. is only achieved if one is able to visit at least a dozen different countries.
c. is achieved through judging others’ behavior by our own cultural standards.
d. means making sure to maintain a large space bubble when seated with another person.
e. involves being aware of various cultural norms and adapting our communication.
62. Psychologist Abraham Maslow suggests that the most basic human needs
a. are invented by other psychologists.
b. must be satisfied before we concern ourselves with other ones.
c. are proof that animals ascended from lower animal forms.
d. prove the existence of a superior being.
e. are generated by others in interpersonal interaction.
63. All of the following elements are included in the transactional communication model introduced in
Chapter One except
a. message.
b. environment.
c. channel.
d. sender.
e. noise.
64. All of the following are involved in learning to perform communication skills effectively except
a. awareness.
b. prowess.
c. awkwardness.
d. skillfulness.
e. integration.
65. The environments that communicators occupy are
a. fields of experience that affect how they understand others’ behavior.
b. gaps that make common understanding impossible.
c. the places where they stand or sit when they communicate.
d. the attitudes they have about nature.
e. the space that they require to communicate effectively.
66. “Decoding” is the process whereby
a. we put our thoughts into words.
b. we make sense out of the messages sent by others.
c. we engage others in conversation.
d. we choose the appropriate way to send messages.
e. we create new ways of teaching reading and communication to children.
67. Strategies you can use to develop a more mindful and competent style of intercultural
communication include
a. reading.
b. passive observation.
c. self-disclosure.
d. talking to experts.
e. all of the above.
68. Almost all messages have
a. a content dimension.
b. a relational dimension.
c. both content and relational dimensions.
d. no dimensions unless the communicators intend them to.
69. Which of the following factors might contribute to different environments?
a. experience
b. age
c. income level
d. ethnic group
e. all of the above
70. What health threats can result from a lack of close relationships?
a. more likely to experience a higher rate of accidents
b. more susceptible to the common cold
c. more likely to die prematurely
d. b and c
e. all of the above
71. The three types of noise that can block communication are
a. loud, moderate, and soft.
b. mass communicational, personal, and transactional.
c. external, physiological, and psychological.
d. sociological, psychological, and communicational.
e. linear, interactional, and transactional.
72. Skillful, integrated communicators are characterized by
a. a conscious focus on communicating effectively.
b. a greater degree of sociability.
c. communicating competently without needing to think constantly about how to behave.
d. exposure to a wide range of communication styles.
e. others helping them out.
73. Research has shown that competent communicators achieve effectiveness by
a. using the same types of behavior in a wide variety of situations.
b. developing large vocabularies.
c. apologizing when they offend others.
d. giving lots of feedback.
e. adjusting their behaviors to the person and situation.
74. An interpersonal relationship differs from an impersonal one because
a. we share our thoughts and feelings with each other.
b. the other person’s life affects ours.
c. we are sad when the relationship changes or ends.
d. we find the time spent in the relationship rewarding.
e. all of the above.
75. Which of the following is an inaccurate description of communication?
a. Communication is unrepeatable.
b. Meanings are in words.
c. Communication is irreversible.
d. It’s impossible not to communicate.
76. You want to let a close friend know how much she/he means to you in a way that is sincere and
doesn’t embarrass either of you. Following the advice on communication competence in your text,
you would
a. follow the approach that you saw another friend use successfully, assuming it would work for
you.
b. avoid sending any message until you were sure it would be well received.
c. try to follow exactly the approach you used successfully with others in the past.
d. react in the way that first occurred to you.
e. consider a variety of alternatives, choosing the one that you think will be most successful under
these circumstances.
77. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is important to the study of interpersonal communication because
a. we all have needs.
b. we can’t understand our needs without communication.
c. communication is usually necessary to meet each level of need.
d. communication was Maslow’s greatest need.
e. the need for communication is the sixth “hidden” need.
78. Noise in the communication process is
a. more than one communicator talking at a time.
b. the nonverbal behaviors that accompany communication.
c. the process of maintaining direct eye contact or not.
d. the process of translating thoughts into words.
e. any force that interferes with effective communication.
79. Which of the following is most clearly an example of qualitatively interpersonal communication?
a. Aubre buys a sweater from a sales clerk.
b. Rich invites the team to a party.
c. Royce asks his friend Jane about her sick child.
d. Aasim pleads for the class to vote.
e. Georgina chats with the mailman.
80. The transactional model of communication is considered a more accurate model than previous ones
because
a. people send and receive messages simultaneously.
b. we cannot isolate a single “act” of communication from the event that came before and after it.
c. the communication created results from the way partners interact.
d. none of the above.
e. all of the above.
81. The authors describe some of the social needs we strive to fulfill by communicating as
a. encoding and decoding.
b. control and affection.
c. empathy and sympathy.
d. talking and listening.
e. communicating both verbally and nonverbally.
82. Some of the characteristics that make relationships more interpersonal than impersonal are
a. frequency and proximity of communication.
b. quantity over quality.
c. how important the content of talk is to both of you.
d. uniqueness, irreplaceability, and interdependence.
83. Integrated communicators express themselves in skillful ways because
a. their communication is a self-conscious act.
b. they have had more experience.
c. they have internalized effective behavior.
d. skills are basic to communication.
e. others help them out.
84. Effective communicators have been found to
a. have a consistent set of five behaviors they can call up at will.
b. have a wide range of behaviors from which to choose.
c. exhibit behaviors that are predictable by their partners.
d. exhibit unique behaviors more often than less effective communicators.
e. frequently rehearse about 20 behaviors until they get them right for any interaction.
85. When you pay attention to your behavior in relationships, you are
a. unlikely to pay attention to others.
b. too uptight.
c. probably ego–driven.
d. self-monitoring.
e. intrinsic.
86. Identity and communication are related in that we
a. gain an idea of who we are from the way others communicate with us.
b. are drawn to communicators who test and challenge our identity.
c. find others’ identities become our own through communication.
d. control communication with our identity.
87. Which is an example of “noise” as the term is defined in your text?
a. someone tapping a pencil while you’re trying to talk
b. a headache that interferes with you listening
c. feelings of anger directed toward a partner
d. preoccupation with another topic during a lecture
e. all of the above
88. Which is an example of “psychological noise” as defined in your text?
a. the sound of a lawn mower just outside your window
b. the smell of smoke drifting into the room you are in
c. feeling embarrassed about a mistake you made
d. a light flickering on and off during a lecture
e. feeling tired in a meeting
89. Which of the following would not be considered a co-culture?
a. senior citizen
b. a person who uses a wheel chair
c. construction worker
d. Muslim
e. all of the above are considered co-cultures
90. Two friends communicating face to face would most likely be
a. taking turns sending and receiving messages.
b. primarily sending messages.
c. primarily receiving messages.
d. sending and receiving messages at the same time.
e. neither sending nor receiving messages.
91. Research on the benefits and challenges of social media indicates that
a. some benefits of communicating via social media significantly outweigh the costs.
b. social media sites do not increase the amount of contact with loved ones.
c. the use of social media to communicate maximizes the perception of differences due to gender,
age, social class, and ethnicity.
d. social media adds richness to interpersonal messages due to the lack of nonverbal cues.
e. all of the above.
92. A cognitively complex communicator
a. considers an issue from several angles.
b. feels and experiences another’s situation.
c. usually has a high IQ.
d. observes behavior with detachment.
e. thinks and reacts quickly.
93. When you call three of your friends in one night to avoid studying, you are communicating to fulfill
the social need of
a. escape.
b. control.
c. affection.
d. companionship.
e. pleasure.
94. When Ernesta realizes during an office meeting that she’s interrupted a co-worker twice, she
demonstrates the skill of
a. empathy.
b. self-monitoring.
c. cognitive complexity.
d. affinity.
e. metacommunication.
95. Which of the following is a channel for communication?
a. touching
b. writing
c. gesturing
d. talking
e. all of the above
96. Interpersonal relationships
a. develop unique rules and roles.
b. are mostly alike.
c. follow the same basic rules about how control is distributed between communicators.
d. have more relational talk than content talk.
e. are none of the above.
97. Getting others to behave in ways that we want is considered what type of goal?
a. basic
b. social
c. instrumental
d. physical
e. self-actualization
98. Relational dimensions of a message
a. are all that matter.
b. make statements about how the parties feel toward one another.
c. are usually expressed verbally rather than nonverbally.
d. all of the above.
e. none of the above.
99. The ability to construct a variety of different frameworks for viewing an issue is termed
a. feedback framework.
b. cognitive complexity.
c. communication competence.
d. metacommunicating.
e. integration.
100. The textbook authors suggest that communication through social media can be hard to accurately
interpret because
a. it lacks important nonverbal cues that convey additional meaning.
b. in online messages people tend to speak before they think.
c. it is more expressive than face to face communication.
d. it is more permanent than face to face communication.
e. all of the above are true.
101. A message is probably “leaner” if it
a. is not accompanied by facial expressions or vocal cues.
b. is sent via social media.
c. contains only words.
d. lacks nonverbal information.
e. all of the above are true.
102. Which of the following characteristics of competent communicators would best help us decide
whether to use casual text language when emailing a professor?
a. a wide range of behaviors
b. ability to choose the most appropriate behavior
c. self-monitoring
d. commitment
e. none of the above
103. In the “Ethical Challenge” Box, Martin Buber suggests
a. we are not fully human if we live only with “I–It” relationships.
b. “I–Thou” relationships are stable, predictable, and detached.
c. “I–It” relationships are utterly unique.
d. “I–It” relationships are qualitatively interpersonal.
e. all of the above.
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INSTRUCTIONS for questions 104–108: Match each of the statements below with the element of the
communication model it illustrates most clearly.
a. external noise
b. environment
c. channel
d. decoding
e. psychological noise
104. You decide to schedule a face-to-face meeting with your professor instead of e-mailing him.
105. Alex decides what Rafael meant by that frown.
106. Your friend’s religion is different from yours, but you went to the same high school and college.
107. You are worried about how your child is doing at school while your boss is giving the quarterly
report.
108. A person behind you in the theater fiddles with a crackling cellophane candy wrapper.
109. Describe an interpersonal communication incident from your experience, identifying at least five
elements of the transactional model of communication shown in Looking Out/ Looking In.
Answer: will vary Type: E Pages: 9-11 Synthesis
110. Using the information explained in “Characteristics of Competent Communicators,” evaluate your
communication competence in the context of one interpersonal relationship in which you are
involved. Discuss the range of behaviors in which you engage, your ability to choose the most
appropriate behavior, your skill in performing certain behaviors, your perceived levels of cognitive
complexity, empathy, and self-monitoring operating in this relationship, and your commitment to
the relationship. Be sure to explain this relationally, discussing the behaviors of the other person
and describing how you adapt or fail to adapt to them.
Answer: will vary Type: E Pages: 23–26 Synthesis
111. Using your own experiences as examples, explain the difference between interpersonal
communication and impersonal communication.
Answer: will vary Type: E Pages: 12-15 Application
112. Identify the three different needs that are sastisfied through communication. Provide examples for
each from your own experience.
Answer: will vary Type: E Pages: 5-7 Application
113. Explain the concept of “noise.” First, define it according to its role in the transactional model of
communication in Chapter One. Next, imagine you are being interviewed for a job. Name and give
examples of each of the three types of noise described by your text that might be present during this
interview experience. Describe how each type could impact the interaction between you and the
interviewer.
Answer: will vary Type: E Page: 10 Evaluation
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114. Explain the principle, “communication is irreversible.” Use personal examples to demonstrate how
this principle has affected your own life.
Answer: will vary Type E Page: 16 Application
115. Describe one of your interpersonal relationships that involves at least some degree of
communication through social media. Explain the ways in which social media enhances or
challenges the quality of this relationship.
Answer: will vary Type: E Pages: 18-22 Application
116. What are the pros and cons of breaking up with someone through social media such as text, email
or Facebook? What about helping a friend with a problem? Support your answers with chapter
material.
Answer: will vary Type E Pages: 18-22, 30-31 Application