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27. One of the connections between language and gender identified in your textbook is that
language evaluates gender. What implications does this insight have for individuals’ language
use?
28. Your friend Marcie tells you that she is frustrated with her boyfriend. She says, “Lucas
never wants to talk about us—really he doesn’t want to talk about anything! His idea of a great
time together is going to a basketball game. Honestly, why doesn’t he realize that talk is the
basis of a relationship?” Given what you know about speech communities and models of
closeness, how might you respond to Marcie about her assumptions and alternatives she might
make instead? Be sure to use specific terms and material from class.
ANS: It sounds like Marcie has been socialized into a feminine speech community in which talk
is used to gain and maintain closeness. To Marcie, talking about the relationship is important.
29. When home on break, you hear a friend use male-generic language. When you tell your
friend it is sexist, your friend wants to know why. Based on what you have learned in this class,
how might you explain to your friend that using such language is problematic?
ANS: Male-generic language is language that is supposed to include men and women but only
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30. Wood argues that language defines men and women differently. Explain the different ways
men and women are defined and provide examples to support your claims.
ANS: Women typically are defined in terms of relationships and appearances whereas men
31. There are several common communication problems that may occur when people from
different gendered speech communities interact. List and describe 3 of them.
ANS: The textbook covers 5 common problems:
Showing Support: Masculine communicators tend to assume someone will talk about her
or his problems if s/he wants to, and don’t probe for information, while feminine
communicators want to give and be given sympathy. This may leave masculine people
feeling intruded upon and feminine people feeling abandoned when someone does not
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Chapter 6: Gendered Nonverbal Communication
Multiple Choice
1. According to research presented in the Gendered Lives text, which of the following is
true about smiling?
A. Women generally smile more than men.
B. Smiling is an example of haptics.
C. African American women are socialized to smile more than Caucasian women.
D. Men generally smile more than women.
E. Research has shown that men and women smile about the same amounts.
2. During conversation, Alyssa holds steady eye contact with her friend to indicate she is
listening. Alyssa’s eye contact is an example of
A. haptics.
B. proxemics.
C. kinesics.
D. artifacts.
E. power.
3. Which of the following statements is true about body image?
A. In general, men and boys are more satisfied with the way they look than are women
and girls.
B. Men increasingly access noninvasive cosmetic treatments such as Botox and Dysport
injections.
C. Men are increasingly seeking to meet body ideals by exercising and taking fitness
supplements.
D. Binge eating seems to be increasing among men.
E. All of the above.
4. People from which demographic group are most likely to strive to achieve unrealistic
body ideals?
A. African American women
B. Caucasian women
C. African American men
D. Caucasian men
E. A and B
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5. The CEO at the company you work for has a spacious corner office all to herself while
the rest of the employees share offices or work in cubicles. What form of nonverbal
communication is indicating a power differential here?
A. kinesics
B. haptics
C. proxemics
D. territoriality
E. environmental factors
6. Which of the following has been advanced as an explanation for gender- and sex-
related differences in ability to decode and interpret others’ nonverbal communication?
A. Men and women have biological sex-related differences in brain functioning that
influence their ability to understand nonverbal communication.
B. As part of their socialization to be sensitive to and build relationships, females learn
to decode nonverbal communication.
C. According to standpoint theory, women must learn to interpret others in order to
survive as subordinate members of society.
D. All of the above.
E. None of the above. There are no gender- and sex-related differences in ability to
decode and interpret others’ nonverbal communication.
7. Three-year-old Kate falls and scrapes her knees on the playground. Her mother runs to
her, scoops her up into her arms, and cuddles Kate until she stops crying. What aspect
of nonverbal communication is being used here?
A. kinesics
B. artifacts
C. the responsiveness dimension of relationship level of meaning
D. the liking dimension of relationship level of meaning
E. haptics
8. Which of the following is NOT one of the ways nonverbal communication can function?
A. to regulate interaction
B. to establish liking
C. to supplement verbal communication
D. to establish power
E. to give a detailed description of an event
9. Which of the following is true about men’s clothing?
A. It is generally not as colorful or bright as women’s.
B. Pockets are used for decorative touches, but not utilitarian purposes.
C. They tend to fit close to the body.
D. Shoes are meant to flatter the legs at the expense of comfort.
E. All of the above.
10. Which of the following statements about haptics are accurate?
A. Men are more likely to initiate friendly touch than women are.
B. Parents tend to touch daughters more often and more gently than they do sons.
C. Touch is a type of nonverbal that does not differ much at all across cultures.
D. Women tend to be more likely to use physical force than men.
E. Haptics is a type of nonverbal communication that includes how much space a person
uses.
11. Topic or question should come from class business. See pages 7-8 of this manual for
details on this activity.
True/False
12. Female athletes are less susceptible to developing eating disorders than are the rest of the
female population.
13. Body image disorders only affect women.
14. Stace frowns at another boy and turns his back in disgust. Stace’s nonverbal communication
is demonstrating the liking dimension of relationship level meaning.
15. Carrie and Jennifer are talking in the hallway between classes. Carrie is making eye contact
with Jennifer, nodding intently while Jennifer speaks, and occasionally asks questions to clarify
what Jennifer is saying. Carrie is using nonverbal communication to regulate interaction.
16. Verbal communication conveys the majority of the total meaning during an interaction.
17. Paralanguage includes spoken words.
18. Women are generally better at reading anger in the faces of others than are men.
19. Children’s toys are becoming increasingly gender-neutral; many toy stores and toy catalogs
no longer separate “toys for girls” and “toys for boys.”
20. Men tend to take up more physical space than women do.
21. Artifacts can be a tool to challenge traditional notions of masculinity and femininity.
22. Topic or question should by authored by a student. See pages 7-8 of this manual for details
on this activity.
Identification
23. Paralanguage
24. Artifacts
25. Territoriality
26. Kinesics
27. Haptics
28. Proxemics
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29. Responsiveness
ANS: Responsiveness refers to the nonverbal behaviors through which we show
20. Power
Essays
31. What is the relationship level of meaning and how is it conveyed nonverbally? In your
answer, be sure to define the three dimensions of relationship level meaning and give examples
of each.
ANS: The relationship level of meaning is the nonliteral meaning of communication that
expresses how a speaker sees the relationship between self and other. It is conveyed
32. The author of your Gendered Lives textbook states, “members of both sexes often feel
pressured to meet current cultural ideals of physical appearance.” Discuss what this means. As
part of your answer, be sure to identify and explain the form of nonverbal communication
directly relevant to the statement. Be able to discuss gender and race-ethnic variations (if any) in
relationship to physical appearance.
ANS: The framework for this answer may be found on pages 132-137. You may also wish to
have students address classroom discussion regarding this issue. The answer below
represents some of the many ideas from the text that could be utilized to answer this
question.
33. Your book states that toys are powerfully gendered artifacts for children, socializing them
into masculine and feminine behaviors from an early age. Describe why toys are so powerful and
important and how they influence a child’s gender socialization.
ANS: Children tend to be given specific toys based on their gender. Boys are given toys that
34. Explain which nonverbal behaviors may be employed to exert power and control and
examine the link to gender.
ANS: Power dynamics speak to issues of dominance and subordination. Control references
who is in charge—e.g., who chooses the topic of conversation, who interrupts, and who
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Chapter 7: Becoming Gendered: The Early Years
Multiple Choice
1. A person’s private sense of, and subjective experience of, his or her gender is called
A. monitoring.
B. internalization.
C. gender identity.
D. ego boundaries.
E. gender constancy.
2. Which of the following is true, according to psychoanalytic theorists?
A. Children of both sexes usually form their first identification with an adult woman.
B. Boys identify more closely with their fathers than girls identify with their mothers.
C. For a girl to fully form her identity, she must repress her original identification with
her mother.
D. At around the age of one year, male and female development diverges dramatically.
E. All of the above.
3. The point at which an individual stops and the rest of the world begins is called a(n)
A. gender identity.
B. gender constancy.
C. ego boundary.
D. masculine speech community.
E. none of the above.
4. What has research found about social aggression in girls?
A. It is often physical.
B. It includes spreading rumors.
C. It happens very infrequently.
D. It has decreased in the last 5 years.
E. It tends to end by the time girls are in high school.
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5. Even when people Kathy hardly knows tell her about their emotions and private lives she
feels very connected to them. Kathy could be described as
A. having thick (or rigid) ego boundaries.
B. having thin (or permeable) ego boundaries.
C. having unstable gender constancy.
D. having an androgynous gender identification.
E. having an unstable sense of self.
6. Allison is a thirty-year-old mother of two young sons. She and her partner, Mike, both
have full time jobs. At work, Allison constantly feels pressure to work hard for
promotion to the next level in her career. At home, she worries frequently that she’s not
spending enough time with her sons and that her house is never clean enough. What
theme of cultural expectations of women is Allison experiencing?
A. Be superwoman.
B. Be sensitive and caring.
C. Appearance still counts.
D. Negative treatment by others.
E. None of the above.
7. Derek is frustrated because his girlfriend wants him to speak openly about his feelings,
but his male friends make fun of him for showing. Which of the following elements of
masculine socialization in the United States best describes both of these pressures
Derek feels?
A. Don’t be female.
B. Be aggressive.
C. Follow the boy code.
D. Embody and transcend traditional views of masculinity.
E. Be successful.
8. Which of the following is generally true of mothers’ communication with their children?
A. Mothers tend to communicate with children more than fathers.
B. Mothers typically focus on providing comfort, security, and emotional development.
C. Mothers tend to talk about numbers with their sons more often than their daughters.
D. Mothers engage in more eye contact and face-to-face interaction with children than
do fathers.
E. All of the above.
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9. Before leaving for work every morning, Laura spends about 90 minutes styling her hair
and applying her makeup. Before bed each night, she carefully selects the outfit she will
wear to work in the morning. At Laura’s office, the list of requirements for women in the
dress code is two pages long. The requirements for men fill barely half a page. Which
theme of femininity does this describe?
A. Appearance still counts.
B. Being superwoman.
C. Being treated negatively by others.
D. There is no single definition of femininity today.
E. Being sensitive.
10. Daniel works as a barista at a small coffee house in New York City. He loves his job and
his customers love him. He has a very small apartment that he shares with a roommate.
His salary allows him to eat at restaurants a few times a month and to visit his sister in
another state a couple of times a year. Daniel is mostly satisfied with his life. However,
he feels a lot of pressure from his parents, especially his father, to go out and find a job in
his college major of economics. Daniel’s father frequently derides the coffee house job
and the size of Daniel’s apartment. What theme of masculinity is described here?
A. Don’t be female.
B. Be successful.
C. Be aggressive.
D. Be sexual.
E. Be self-reliant.
11. Topic or question should by authored by a student. See pages 7-8 of this manual for
details on this activity.
True/False
12. Girls typically define their femininity in negative terms—as not masculine or not male.
13. Men tend to have relatively firm ego boundaries.
14. Mothers are more likely to encourage gender-appropriate behavior in their children.
15. According to psychoanalytic theory, families play a critical role in the formation of gender
identity.
16. Newborn baby girls are frequently described as strong, big, active, and alert by their parents.
17. In the United States, a current theme in views of femininity is that women should establish
closeness through talking with others in large relational networks.
18. Though many things have changed about gender over time, appearance is still a primary
measure and marker of femininity.
19. According to some counselors, pressure to live up to ideals of masculinity has led to an
epidemic of hidden male depression.
20. Men in the United States are seen as failing at masculinity if they try to transcend traditional
notions of masculinity.
21. Female babies tend to identify with their mothers and male babies tend to identify with their
fathers.
Identification
22. Ego boundaries
ANS: Defines the point at which an individual stops and the rest of the world begins. They
23. Social aggression:
ANS: Attacking others using social rather than physical strategies. Social aggression is
24. “Anatomy is destiny”
25. Gender identity
26. Parental modeling
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REF: p. 150
27. Identification
Essays
28. Define ego boundaries and explain how they typically develop in masculine and feminine
people, noting both similarities and differences in development.
ANS: Ego boundaries are the point at which an individual stops and the rest of the world (and
other people) begins. They distinguish the self from others and others’ concerns and lives.
29. Identify the themes (or elements) of what it means to be masculine in the United States. As
part of your explanation, be sure you provide brief, concrete examples for the six themes.
Finally, discuss one way that parental/guardian communication about gender (as discussed in
Chapter 7 of Gendered Lives) may influence understanding of one or more of these themes.
ANS: The themes of masculinity may be found on pages 151-155. Students may choose from
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30. Contemporary fathers are far more involved in their children’s lives than were fathers of
previous generations. Based on the ideas discussed in Chapter 7, reflect on the implications this
might have on the gender development of contemporary children.
ANS: Psychoanalytic theory argues that because of the remoteness of fathers, boys struggle to
31. Identify the themes (or elements) of what it means to be feminine in the United States. As
part of your explanation, be sure you provide brief, concrete examples for the five themes.
Finally, discuss one way that parental/guardian communication about gender (as discussed in
Chapter 7 of Gendered Lives) may influence understanding of one or more of these themes.
ANS: The themes of femininity may be found on pages 155-160. Students may choose from the
32. Children tend to be socialized into very strict gender roles. This socialization process and
these expectations tend to be especially difficult for children who are gay, lesbian, bisexual,
transgendered, intersexed, or otherwise genderqueer. Give an example of two specific
difficulties that queer kids may face growing up as well as a potential response to help ease each
issue, explaining how the response would directly impact the issue.
ANS: Answers for this question may vary. Students should draw from the material on pages
161-162 to answer this question but may use their own unique examples.
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33. According to psychoanalytical theory, how do most boys develop their gender identity?
ANS: For boys, the process of developing gender identity is complicated, according to
psychodynamic theory. As infants, boys internalize and identify with their primary caretaker; in
Chapter 8: Gendered Education: Communication in Schools
Multiple Choice
1. Which of the following helps explain why U.S. women are less likely to pursue careers
in scientific and mathematical fields?
A. In high school, girls take fewer advanced math classes than boys.
B. Most girls have significantly less natural aptitude for science and math than do most
boys.
C. There are no women professors in the sciences or math, making it difficult for
young women to envision themselves succeeding in these areas of study.
D. Some faculty members and peers assume that females have less aptitude in these
fields.
E. All of the above.
2. Which of the following is a challenge males typically face in academics?
A. Compared to same-aged girls, boys have more energy and less impulse control so
they are less likely to adjust to early school contexts.
B. Boys are viewed as being less able than girls to use the logic required for complex
mathematics.
C. In accordance with masculine socialization, males have more pressure to be self-
reliant and are less likely to ask questions.
D. Males have less school athletic opportunities since federal law has mandated equal
money and support to female athletes under Title IX.
E. All of the above.
3. Peer pressure enacted by college women emphasizes being attractive to men over class
work and career preparation. In addition, some female college students discover that
their career goals are not taken seriously. These factors comprise _________, which
researchers believe help explain these young women’s lower ambitions after college.
A. effortless perfection
B. the culture of romance
C. the hidden curriculum
D. both A and B
E. none of the above
