TEST BANK
Chapter 1
Communication Perspectives
Multiple Choice Questions
1. The process of putting our thoughts and feelings into words and nonverbal cues is called
_______
2. How does culture affect interpersonal communication?
3. Thinking “a person who is very careful about spending money” when someone describes a
person as “thrifty” represents a process called _______
4. At dinner you get your father’s advice on whether you should take an economic or political
science class to meet a requirement. The next day when you see your father, you say “I
decided on economics.” Your dad says, “Good choice son. I can tell you’ve thought about
what we discussed.” His response indicates that he is considering _______
5. Which of these is an example of communication apprehension?
6. What three things can help improve your communication competence?
7. Which is not an aspect of ethical communication?
8. Sarah and Stephen are meeting to talk about their class project, but Stephen is distracted
because he is worried about an exam in another class. He asks Sarah to repeat herself several
times. This conversation is most strongly influenced by _______
9. You approach your friend Tom to ask him about how he feels about his classes this fall. Tom is
busy watching a squirrel outside the window and doesn’t hear anything you’ve just said. The
communication is being affected by _______
10. If you can’t pay attention because a song lyric is stuck in your head, you are experiencing
_______
11. Four students on a college campus decide to start a club that focuses on volunteering. They
establish the organization, promote it, and plan events together. All of these activities involve
communication. What kind of communication best describes what these four students are
doing?
12. A mother tells her child to go clean his room. He does this, although he mumbles something
under his breath and makes a face to let her know that he’s not happy about it. This is an
example of _______
13. Communication that is appropriate, but unethical is
_______
14. The fact that many people will talk openly with perfect strangers while on an airplane or a bus
suggests that _______
15. Which of these is an example of a symbol used in communication?
16. The exchange of information function of communication is best illustrated by _______
17. Which indexical aspect of communication determines our level of emotional disclosure?
18. You completely forgot about a paper you were supposed to write for class. You’ve never been
in that situation before, but you want to explain the situation to your instructor, so you think
about what you want to say before going to her office hours. This kind of message is called a
_______
d. halo effect
19. The fact that silence is a form of communication demonstrates that _______
20. The cashier at the store greets you by saying, “How are you doing today?” Even though
you’re having a bad day, you say, “I’m fine, thank you.” Your response is an example of a
_______
21. If a friend declares that she will plan your upcoming vacation and you agree that she should
take this responsibility, the relationship most likely has an understood degree of _______
22. Which of the following statements are true about communication?
23. Competent communication depends on
_______
24. According to scholar Brian Spitzberg, motivation is an important aspect of communication
competence because _______
25. Diana takes a work phone call while she’s in the car. She tries to pay attention to the call, but
she also has to focus on traffic and driving. What kind of context is affecting Diana’s
communication?
True/False Questions
1. Using multiple channels to transmit messages leads to confusion and less accurate
interpretation of your message.
2. The process of transforming feelings and concepts into symbols and organizing them into a
message is called encoding.
3. What is competent communication in one culture may not be competent in another culture.
4. Relationships never benefit from dark side responses.
5. A moral dilemma is when we are faced with violating the truthfulness and honesty principle of
communication ethics.
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Essay Questions
1. Your textbook notes that culture affects communication and notes that (1) perception, (2)
patterns of cognition, (3) verbal behaviors, and (4) nonverbal behaviors and context are
affected by culture. Choose two of these four and for each, give a specific example of how
culture can affect this aspect of communication.
2. Describe how increasing your communication competence will help you in your home or work
life. Write a short dialogue that includes a spontaneous expression, a scripted message, and a
constructed message. Label each.
3. You’re at the mall shopping for clothes. In one of the fitting rooms, you find a wallet with an
ID and $100 cash. You have the option of taking the money and leaving the wallet, or bringing
everything to the service desk. Define the five ethical standards that influence our
communication and apply them to this moral dilemma.
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