Chapter 14
Language
Multiple Choice Questions
1. An effective oral style _______
2. James poses the rhetorical question, “Who in this room doesn’t want a million dollars?” at the
beginning of his presentation to establish _______
3. ______
refers to the confidence an audience places in the truthfulness of what a speaker
says.
4. In a speech about the global economy, Rachel starts with a story about a local grocery store.
She is establishing _______
5. Linda gave a motivational speech for a local business. She described each department as a
different part of the body, and explained how every part had to work together so the
business/body could run. She was using a _______
6. Ashley says, “The porch light was shining like the North Star.” This is an example of _______
7. Which of the following statements are true about slang?
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8. Which of these statements is an example of using inclusive language?
9. Which of the following attributes are associated with feminine styles of language?
10. Which of the following phrases would be most likely classified as a masculine style of
language?
11. Which of the following is competent advice for being linguistically sensitive?
12. Using the words “patches of different colors” instead of “variegated” when talking with an 11-
year-old is a matter of word _______
13. Saying “A doctor puts in long, hard years to earn his degree” _______
14. Saying “Jordan is a really good female chef” is an example of _______
15. Saying “Marsha Gordon, whose husband is a noted surgeon, was named seller of the week,” is
an example of
_______
16. Words like “really,” “you know,” and “like” that are unnecessary to fill silence are referred to
as _______
17. Words used to structure a speech such as “secondly,” and “in conclusion,” are referred to as
_______
18. ______
is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words that are near one
another.
19. ______ is the use of words that sound like the things they stand for.
20. A speaker can damage their credibility by
_______
True/False Questions
1. Concrete words are sense-related. We use concrete words to describe what we can see, smell,
touch, hear, or taste.
2. When you have the choice between a more common vivid word or image and an obscure
image, use the more obscure.
3. Dating information helps increase message effectiveness and increases speaker credibility.
4. Jargon and slang are appropriate in most situations.
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5. Using personal pronouns develops verbal immediacy and common ground with the audience.
Essay Questions
1. Think about a political message you have heard (a speech, radio address, televised debate,
online video, etc.). Did the speaker adapt their message to a certain group of listeners? Did
they alienate other listeners? Use specific ideas from the text to explain.
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