A First Look At Communication Theory, 10e (Griffin)
Chapter 23 Dramatism
1) Which of the following is NOT a part of Burke’s pentad?
A) actor
B) act
C) agent
D) agency
2) ________ refers to things progressing according to cause-and-effect laws without meaning or
purpose.
A) Mortification
B) Dramatism
C) Symbolic action
D) Realm of motion
3) The process of designating an external enemy as the source of all our ills is:
A) victimage.
B) mortification.
C) personification.
D) vilification.
4) The term that sums up all that a speaker regards as bad, wrong, or evil is a(n):
A) false dilemma.
B) agent.
C) devil term.
D) None of the answers is correct.
5) According to Burke, we engage in ________ when using words to give life to particular
motives and pursue particular goals when we speak.
A) dramatism
B) mortification
C) symbolic action
D) homophilic persuasion
6) A term describing a person’s physical characteristics, talents, occupation, background,
personality, and values is:
A) culture.
B) substance.
C) socioeconomic being.
D) purpose.
7) The ultimate motive for all public rhetoric is to:
A) blame God for all that happens.
B) purge oneself of guilt.
C) become identified with others.
D) create a perspective by incongruity.
8) Burke uses ________ as his catchall term to cover every form of noxious feelings inherent in
human symbol-using activity.
A) iniquity
B) anxiety
C) shame
D) guilt
9) According to Burke, ________ requires confession of sin and a request for forgiveness to
purge one’s guilt.
A) identification
B) victimage
C) mortification
D) criticism
10) Burke’s theory has been criticized because:
A) he had insufficient interest in ethical issues.
B) his assumption that guilt underlies all public address is questionable.
C) his prose is often confusing and obscure.
D) Both “his assumption that guilt underlies all public address is questionable” and “his prose is
often confusing and obscure” are correct.
11) The principal purpose of the dramatistic pentad is to transcend perspective by incongruity.
12) Rhetorical scholars who carefully analyze the language of speakers and authors are called
critics.
13) Marie Hochmuth Nichols was a University of Illinois rhetorician who criticized Burke’s lack
of respect for ethics in communication.
14) A scapegoat is the target of victimage.
15) Mortification is a method of purging guilt through self-blame that requires the confession of
sin and a request for forgiveness.
16) Burke was discovered for the field of speech by Edna St. Vincent Millay in the early 1950s.
17) Terms that sum up all that a speaker regards as righteous and good are called god-terms.
18) Homophily is a term used by behavioral scientists to describe what Burke called the devil-
term.
19) Although Burke identified victimage in his analysis of speeches, he did not endorse the
practice.
20) For Burke, life is not like drama; it is drama.
21) According to Burke, without ________, there is no persuasion.
22) For Burke, ________ is confession of sin and request for forgiveness.
23) According to Burke, the ultimate goal for public rhetoric is ________.
24) Describe and explain the dramatistic pentad.
25) Burke asserts that without identification, there can be no persuasion. Explain what he means
by identification and why it is so important.
26) What does Burke see as the ultimate motivation for all public speaking? Do you agree with
him? How would you support your position?
27) What does Burke see as the major differences between humans and other animals?
28) Why did Burke make use of spiritual language in his theory?
29) What is perspective by incongruity? Give an example. Do you find it to be an effective way
to communicate?
30) Choose a current debate or controversy on campus, in your community, or in the nation, and
describe it in Burkean terms. How well does it seem to conform to the dramatistic pentad and the
guilt-redemption cycle?
31) How does Burke’s notion of the scapegoat compare to Aristotle’s notion that, to evince hatred
and promote solidarity, a speaker must refer to a common enemy?
32) In Burke’s terms, has Deetz simply transformed a manager into a scapegoat? How well does
the Burkean approach apply to the critical theory of organizational communication?
33) Compare Burke’s perspective by incongruity with Aristotle’s approach to metaphor.
34) How might Burke’s theory explain the peripheral route to persuasion of the elaboration
likelihood model?