Communicating at Work, 12e (Adler)
Chapter 1 Communicating at Work
1) Which of the following is NOT an accurate statement?
A) William Schaffer, International Business Development Manager for Sun Microsystems has
stated, “If there’s one skill that’s required for success in this industry, it’s communication skills.”
B) There is a significant difference between communication skills of physicians with and without
malpractice claims.
C) Workers in high-tech fields do not need good communication skills.
D) Poor communication is one of the most common reasons for errors in shooting among officers
of the Los Angeles Police Department.
2) Which of the following is NOT true about individuals communicating in today’s organizations?
A) Many recruiters believe that the main factors contributing to job success in corporate America
are the ability to work with others and effective communication skills.
B) More than 60% of reported medical errors have been attributed to poor communication.
C) The average business executive spends more than 45 minutes of every hour communicating.
D) Due to advanced technology, good communication skills are less important in the 21st century
than in they were in the 20th century.
3) Experts estimate that the average business executive spends what percentage of his or her time
communicating?
A) 75 to 80 percent
B) 50 to 55 percent
C) 25 to 30 percent
D) 10 to 15 percent
4) According to corporate recruiters, which of the following is one of the main factors that
contributes to job success?
A) technical skills
B) native intelligence
C) educational background
D) communication skills
5) In general, students ________ the importance of communication skills in the workplace and
________ their own communication skills.
A) overestimate; overestimate
B) underestimate; underestimate
C) underestimate; overestimate
D) overestimate; underestimate
6) The statement “Communication is unavoidable” means that
A) if you’re absent from a meeting, you are not communicating at all.
B) all communication is unintentional.
C) people will probably attach meaning to your actions, even when you don’t intend to
communicate something.
D) true communication occurs only when we are face to face with another person.
7) Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A) You cannot communicate.
B) Most communicators at work send more messages than they receive.
C) It is possible to take back a message after another person has received it.
D) Context has little to do with successful communication.
8) Felix needs to know how many people will be attending the company’s lunch seminar so he can
order enough food. He sends an e-mail to his coworkers asking them to let him know if they will be
coming and whether or not they have any dietary restrictions. This is an example of
A) instrumental communication.
B) relational communication.
C) identity management.
D) network management.
9) It is important to Mikhail to be seen by his coworkers as an intelligent, serious person. In his
speech and written communication with them he makes a point of avoiding contractions and using
sophisticated words and phrases. This is an example of
A) feedback management.
B) instrumental communication.
C) relational communication.
D) identity management.
10) Which of the following is NOT one of the three main strategic communication goals?
A) relational communication
B) unintended communication
C) instrumental communication
D) identity management
11) Strategic messages can have one of three goals. During office meetings, Sara expresses her
respect for her boss by listening attentively, nodding, and taking notes. Through her actions, Sara
is illustrating a ________ message.
A) sequential
B) content
C) relational
D) structured
12) All of the following are true about strategic communication EXCEPT
A) our messages include both instrumental and relational aspects.
B) it is unethical to use communication strategies to achieve our goals.
C) it is possible to communicate strategically, while still respecting others’ rights and needs.
D) identity management involves purposefully trying to make a certain type of impression through
our communication.
13) Communication is
A) irreversible.
B) insignificant.
C) avoidable.
D) a panacea.
14) If you make a harsh and unkind comment to someone
A) he/she will forgive and forget, as long as you apologize later.
B) you can erase the unkind comment from their mind by giving the individual a compliment the
next day.
C) he/she is likely to remember the comment for a long time.
D) your unkind comment will have little impact if it occurred during an argument, because unkind
behavior is expected in that context.
15) Which of the following statements describes communication most accurately?
A) When we experience a misunderstanding, better communication can always solve the problem.
B) The meaning of every message we send is affected by the communication context.
C) Fortunately, if we have hurt someone’s feelings by our words, we can erase all bad feelings by
apologizing.
D) Honest people will not face ethical challenges as they communicate at work.
16) Communication is a process. This means that
A) to understand communication, we need to examine the context in which it occurs.
B) effective communication is efficient.
C) every message we send is an isolated event.
D) communication is avoidable.
17) Georgia believes that she will get what she wants if she simply communicates in the “correct”
way. Which of the principles of communication does Georgia fail to understand?
A) One cannot communicate.
B) Communication is irreversible.
C) Communication is unavoidable.
D) Communication is not a panacea.
18) Which of the following describes most accurately the potential of effective communication?
A) If you develop good communication skills, you can get what you want all the time.
B) If you spend enough time communicating with someone about a misunderstanding, you will
always be able to find a solution that you both like.
C) If you improve your communication skills, you can increase your effectiveness in personal and
business relationships.
D) If two people understand each other’s messages, they will never disagree.
19) Which of the following is NOT one of the elements of the communication process?
A) noise
B) topic
C) channel
D) feedback
20) In the model of communication, the term “sender” refers to a person who is
A) encoding ideas using words or nonverbal methods.
B) interpreting words and gestures.
C) providing feedback on a message.
D) engaged in asynchronous communication.
21) The activity of selecting words and/or nonverbal signals to express your ideas is known as
A) feedback.
B) context.
C) encoding.
D) decoding.
22) When Rahim’s mother told him he needed to clean up his room, he rolled his eyes. This is an
example of
A) feedback.
B) psychological noise.
C) decoding.
D) multiple channel communication.
23) “Channels” of communication are defined as
A) gestures.
B) digitized messages.
C) significant gaps in understanding.
D) methods used to deliver a message.
24) Fatima asks, “What time will the meeting start?” Fatima’s words are an example of a
A) channel.
B) decoding.
C) message.
D) context.
25) ________ refers to the words and nonverbal methods a person uses to communicate ideas.
A) The message
B) The encoding
C) Physical noise
D) The channel
26) The role of the receiver is to
A) send messages.
B) decode messages.
C) encode messages.
D) act as a messenger.
27) When an individual attaches meaning to the message he/she receives, which of the following
components of the communication process has occurred?
A) encoding
B) decoding
C) channeling
D) transmission
28) Which of the following would NOT provide feedback to the sender?
A) deciding not to answer a phone message from your ex-girlfriend
B) browsing through a company’s catalog to see what styles of shoes they offer
C) falling asleep during a boring meeting
D) sending a letter to the editor of your local newspaper in response to an article the paper
published
29) Successful communication can best be understood as
A) the delivery of a message in such a way that the receiver comprehends exactly what the sender
was trying to say.
B) a circular process in which individuals take turns sending and receiving messages to each other.
C) a collaborative process in which participants create a shared understanding.
D) the process of an active sender encoding a message and delivering it to a passive receiver to be
decoded.
30) Angelia has recently begun making a lot of mistakes on her day job. She has not been listening
attentively to her supervisor’s instructions. Angelia is no longer attentive because she is exhausted.
She has taken on a second job at night so she can pay off her credit card debt. In the above
example, which type of noise is causing a breakdown in the communication process between
Angelia and her supervisor?
A) physiological noise
B) defensiveness
C) supervisory noise
D) subtle noise
31) Josefina was so angry that she didn’t even hear her brother’s apology. Which type of noise
hindered Josefina’s ability to accurately decode her brother‘s message?
A) physical
B) psychological
C) physiological
D) external
32) Egotism is an example of ________ that interferes with effective communication.
A) physical noise
B) encoding
C) a channel
D) psychological noise
33) Richard works for a small local newspaper as the advertising manager. Richard thinks he has
been giving his subordinates plenty of encouragement because he says “thank you” when they turn
in their projects. However, Richard has just discovered that most of his subordinates think Richard
isn’t providing enough praise and encouragement. This example illustrates that
A) meaning resides in the words of the sender.
B) the verbal channel is fatally flawed.
C) messages are not always understood as the sender intended.
D) Richard is a good supervisor.
34) The channel of communication that has the highest level of nonverbal “richness” is
A) face-to-face communication.
B) instant messaging.
C) voice mail.
D) snail mail.
35) A lean channel is best when you
A) want your message to provide a personal focus.
B) need to receive feedback quickly.
C) want your communication to be efficient.
D) need to exert a great deal of control over your message’s tone.
36) Which of the following is an example of asynchronous communication?
A) a face-to-face meeting
B) an e-mail exchange
C) a video chat
D) a telephone conversation
37) Which of the following is a disadvantage of using face-to-face communication over other
communication channels?
A) There is lag time between transmission and reception of the message.
B) Face-to-face communication reduces your ability to hold the receiver’s attention.
C) It is often difficult to schedule a time to meet face-to-face.
D) It is more difficult to develop effective relationships with individuals when you use face–to-face
communication.
38) The channel of communication recommended for messages of a highly personal nature is
A) e-mail.
B) oral communication.
C) a formal letter.
D) instant messaging.
39) Which type of communication should be used if you are presenting ideas when you need to
gather instantaneous feedback?
A) written communication
B) voice mail
C) teleconferencing
D) face-to-face communication
40) Naomi is an attorney. She needs to explain to her client as clearly and precisely as possible
what his options are under the law. Under these circumstances, the best channel for her to use is a
A) letter.
B) telephone conversation.
C) meeting at his office.
D) text message.