Chapter 04 – Using Verbal and Nonverbal Messages in a Group
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Chapter 04
Using Verbal and Nonverbal Messages in a Group
Multiple Choice Questions
1. (p. 64) “Message” refers to
A. signals from human beings.
E. a planned, structured, and encoded set of signals.
2. (p. 65–66) Which advice was NOT given in your textbook for reducing misunderstandings of
abstract language used in discussions?
D. Use numbers to quantify when feasible.
E. Provide examples of what you are talking about.
3. (p. 65–66) Which of the following terms is most concrete?
A. animal
B. mammal
4. (p. 64) _____ occurs when group members think they have the same meaning for a word or
phrase but in actuality they do not.
A. Interpretation
B. Understanding
5. (p. 65) Group members adapt to the different rules for communication, or code switch, when
the context of the social system changes. Ways to code switch include
A. adopting the rules of communicating in that group.
B. incorporating your personal style.
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6. (p. 66) Which of the following was NOT offered as a way to utilize abstract terms?
D. Use relative terms to compare.
E. Use descriptive terms.
7. (p. 65) Which of the following is NOT a way to organize your remarks during group
discussion?
A. Relate your statement to the preceding statement.
B. State the point concretely and concisely.
8. (p. 68) “She is just a feminazi who is criticizing our country’s rich traditions.” This is an
example of using which of the following types of words?
A. appropriate
B. loaded
9. (p. 68–69) When emotive words are used in a group, which of the following questions should
group members ask themselves?
A. As a group what do you do?
B. How would you discuss this issue?
10. (p. 71) Josh sat separate from his group with his arms crossed for most of the meeting. Sam
assumed that Josh did not want to be a part of the group. In actuality, Josh had just found out
his partner broke up with him and was very distraught. What principle of nonverbal
communication does this most closely illustrate?
D. All of the answers are correct.
E. None of the answers is correct.
11. (p. 72) When her group members asked Sally if she was upset, she answered in a very tense
and clipped tone, “I’m perfectly fine.” The group did not believe her. This illustrates which
principle of nonverbal communication?
Chapter 04 – Using Verbal and Nonverbal Messages in a Group
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D. All of the answers are correct.
E. None of the answers is correct.
12. (p. 72) People with high social power are perceived to engage in all of the following
nonverbal behaviors EXCEPT
D. talk smoothly.
E. use more open body movements.
13. (p. 75–76) By making eye contact, most Americans signal that
D. they want the speaker to clarify.
E. they want evidence to support a claim.
14. (p. 74) Members of a group form impressions of each other, accurate or not, long before
anyone says anything. We use which of the following characteristics to form impressions?
A. sex
B. race
15. (p. 77–78) Saying “ain’t” instead of “isn’t” is a difference between which of the following?
D. articulation
E. misnomer
16. (p. 78–79) Which of the following nonverbal behaviors is offered by your authors to get other
members to like you?
A. don’t smile
B. text while others are talking
17. (p. 78) In general, most Americans will allow about _____ minute(s) before expecting an
apology for tardiness to a small group meeting.
Chapter 04 – Using Verbal and Nonverbal Messages in a Group
D. fifteen
E. thirty
18. (p. 80) Any interaction via computer technology is identified as which of the following?
A. net conference
B. webinar
19. (p. 80) Compared to face-to-face interaction, computer-mediated communication is said to
lack
A. interest.
B. insight.
20. (p. 81) The typographic symbols used in computer-mediated communication (CMC) to
convey a variety of emotions, like a smiley face, are called which of the following?
A. characters
B. keys
Fill in the Blank Questions
21. (p. 65–66) One of the best ways to prevent confusion about your abstract language is to
provide concrete _____ of what you mean.
22. (p. 68–69) Trigger words which evoke high levels of emotion are often referred to as _____
words.
23. (p. 71) _____ communication is anything in a message that is not the word itself.
24. (p. 72) When verbals and nonverbals clash, most people believe the _____.
Chapter 04 – Using Verbal and Nonverbal Messages in a Group
25. (p. 73) A band director giving a “thumbs up” signal is using a gesture to _____ for words.
26. (p. 74) When the coordinator of a discussion uses nods and eye contact to indicate that a
member can speak next, he/she is using nonverbal to _____ the flow of discussion.
27. (p. 76) One nonverbal behavior guaranteed to get other members to dislike you is to keep
a(n) _____ to make others guess what you’re thinking.
28. (p. 77) Sounds such as “mm hmm” and “uh huh” made while another person is speaking are
called _____ signals.
29. (p. 80) The degree to which a person feels that another is actually present during an
interaction is called _____.
30. (p. 81) _____ are typographic symbols used in CMC to convey a variety of emotions.
True/False Questions
31. (p. 66) Communicating in Groups recommends against using abstract language during
discussions.
32. (p. 70) Communicating in Groups recommends that regardless of how you learned to speak
in your family and neighborhood, you will benefit from conforming to the vocabulary and
grammatical rules of standard U.S. English in mainstream business and educational
communities.
33. (p. 71) The use of words is considered nonverbal communication.
34. (p. 71–72) Unless he or she talks, a member does not contribute any signal that can have an
important impact on a group.
35. (p. 78) Nonverbal behaviors fulfill a minimal role in a person’s message.
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36. (p. 72) Nonverbal behaviors convey how we perceive our relationships to other people.
37. (p. 74) Cues such as sex, ethnicity, and age can convey personal characteristics like status
and wisdom.
38. (p. 74–75) In the United States, most business is conducted at an appropriate social distance,
which is considered to be between two and four feet.
39. (p. 75) Violating space norms is risky behavior.
40. (p. 75–76) People who express little emotion on their faces are generally more trusted than
those whose faces reveal a lot about how they feel.
41. (p. 77) Individuals from some cultures (e.g., Hispanic) use the backchannel more frequently
than the majority of residents in the United States.
42. (p. 78) People who talk excessively during meetings are considered to be important
contributors to the discussion.
43. (p. 80–81) Nonverbal communication operates differently in CMC environments.
44. (p. 81) Using emoticons decreases social presence.
45. (p. 80) Compared to face-to-face communication, CMC has more social presence.
Essay Questions
46. (p. 64–71) What advice would you give to a newly formed group of high school students
about how to improve verbal communication during their discussions? List as many
guidelines as you can and briefly explain how each could benefit the group.
Answers will vary.
47. (p. 71–72) What are the principles of nonverbal communication in group interaction?
Answers will vary.
Chapter 04 – Using Verbal and Nonverbal Messages in a Group
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48. (p. 74–79) Identify and give an example of six categories of nonverbal behaviors in group
interaction.
Answers will vary.
49. (p. 78–79) List the nonverbal behaviors guaranteed to get other members to dislike you.
Explain why these behaviors could be interpreted negatively.
Answers will vary.
50. (p. 80–81) Compare the difference in nonverbal behaviors between face-to-face interaction
and computer-mediated communication.
Answers will vary.