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1. Janis listens to country music on her iTunes playlist purely for pleasure. Which function
of listening is she illustrating?
A) listening to analyze
B) listening to provide support
C) listening to discern
D) listening to comprehend
E) listening to appreciate
2. Using the phrase “EGBDF” to recall the notes on a music scale is called
A) mental-bracketing.
B) mnemonics.
C) paraphrasing.
D) backchannel cues.
E) perception checking.
3. When listening to a lecture in class you are most likely listening to
A) comprehend.
B) provide support.
C) appreciate.
D) discern.
E) none of the options are correct.
4. If Mark, who is concerned his girlfriend is still angry with him after a recent fight,
carefully listens to not only the words she is saying but how they are said, he is demonstrating
A) listening to support.
B) listening to appreciate.
C) listening to discern.
D) listening to comprehend.
E) listening to analyze.
5. If Desiree, in listening to her interpersonal communication professor lecture, actively
seeks to evaluate and critique the information, she is
A) listening to discern.
B) listening to appreciate.
C) listening to support.
D) listening to analyze.
E) listening to comprehend.
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6. If Simon Cowell, a judge on “America’s Got Talent,” listens specifically to a contestant’s
vocal quality, what listening function is he demonstrating?
A) listening to discern
B) listening to appreciate
C) listening to support
D) listening to analyze
E) listening to comprehend
7. Providing feedback, asking questions, saying “yes” or “uh–huh,” and smiling are all
examples of
A) hearing.
B) responding.
C) remembering.
D) understanding.
E) interpreting.
8. If Bri texts, posts messages on Facebook, and plays Candy Crush while listening when
you to speak to her, she is
A) multitasking.
B) action-oriented listening.
C) aggressive listening.
D) pseudo-listening.
E) selective listening.
9. Which of the following is not true about feedback?
A) it can be positive
B) it can be negative
C) it can occur while others are speaking
D) it occurs after others speak
E) it can be both positive and negative
10. What listening function would be most appropriate if your boyfriend, who is very shy,
decided to sing a song at your local karaoke bar?
A) listening to discern
B) listening to analyze
C) narcissistic listening
D) listening to support
E) listening to comprehend
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11. What is true about remembering?
A) mnemonics have been shown to decrease our ability to remember
B) we cannot increase our ability to remember
C) it plays a minimal role in the listening process
D) it is an important measure of listening effectiveness
E) none of the options are correct
12. If your friend Sheila is a very animated communicator and active listener, when she
listens to you give a recounting of your day she often responds with nonverbal and verbal cues
including “ah–ha,” ”yes,” and “okay.” What listening strategy is Sheila using?
A) feedback
B) empathizing
C) backchannel cues
D) paraphrasing
E) multitasking
13. Men tend to practice
A) action-oriented listening.
B) people-oriented listening.
C) content-oriented listening.
D) listening for support.
E) listening as an emotional or relational activity.
14. Which of the following is considered ineffective listening?
A) hearing
B) remembering
C) selective listening
D) interpreting
E) responding
15. Western cultures such as the United States tend to be individualistic in nature and value
what type of listening style?
A) empathic listening
B) time- or action-oriented listening
C) people-oriented listening
D) content-oriented listening
E) passive listening
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16. Eastern cultures such as East Asia tend to be collectivistic in nature and value what type
of listening style?
A) time-oriented listening
B) empathic listening
C) action-oriented listening
D) people- or content-oriented listening
E) passive listening
17. Active, effective listeners tend to
A) focus on content-oriented listening.
B) focus on action-oriented listening.
C) use all four listening styles, as needed.
D) focus on time-oriented listening.
E) focus on people-oriented listening.
18. Which of the following is NOT true about gender and listening styles?
A) women tend to use action- or task-oriented listening
B) women tend to use people-oriented or relational listening
C) women tend to use content-oriented listening
D) we stereotype listening differences between women and men
E) men tend to use action- and time-oriented listening
19. A person from an individualistic culture communicating with someone from a
collectivistic culture would be wise to do all of the following EXCEPT
A) adopt a people-oriented listening style.
B) provide positive feedback.
C) emphasize areas of commonality.
D) avoid hurrying the interactions.
E) use time-oriented listening.
20. A person from a collectivistic culture communicating with someone from an
individualistic culture would be wise to
A) use time-oriented listening.
B) be sensitive to time usage.
C) avoid hurrying the interactions.
D) use action-oriented listening.
E) expect short, blunt reactions.
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21. Your text suggests that pseudo-listening is
A) effective.
B) appropriate.
C) active.
D) unethical.
E) inactive.
22. When Cheryl talks with her mother, she often doesn’t really listen to what she says;
however, when she talks with her son Dylan, she listens carefully and attentively. Cheryl is
demonstrating
A) selective listening.
B) mental bracketing.
C) passive listening.
D) pseudo-listening.
E) narcissistic listening.
23. In class you sit up front and act as if you are really listening by maintaining eye contact
and nodding in agreement with your instructor; however, your mind is far away and not focused
on the lecture. You are demonstrating
A) passive listening.
B) active listening.
C) selective listening.
D) narcissistic listening.
E) pseudo-listening.
24. Loni’s boyfriend came home drunk. The next morning Loni confronts him and after
explaining his behavior she accuses him of being a lazy, good-for-nothing alcoholic. Laura is
exemplifying
A) pseudo-listening.
B) aggressive listening.
C) narcissistic listening.
D) selective listening.
E) active listening.
25. Which of the following is a barrier to effective listening?
A) providing timely, immediate feedback
B) adapting your listening
C) failing to manage distractions
D) being aware of your listening style
E) improving your ability to recall information
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26. What listening strategy would you recommend to your friend who seems to be practicing
selective listening because he can’t seem to pay attention in his interpersonal communication
class as his mind and attention often wander?
A) provide more feedback
B) use pseudo-listening
C) listen to everything
D) avoid multitasking with mediated communication
E) use backchannel cues
27. Active listening involves
A) controlling factors that impede attention.
B) providing clear, timely feedback.
C) devoting effort to improve recall.
D) developing awareness of your listening functions and styles.
E) all of the answers are correct.
28. While listening to a grieving friend, it would be wise to avoid
A) maintaining silence.
B) being present and attentive.
C) using people-oriented listening.
D) providing positive feedback.
E) pseudo-listening.
29. A person demonstrating active and effective listening does not
A) ask questions.
B) interrupt to provide feedback.
C) concentrate on listening for specific details and facts.
D) empathize with the speaker.
E) use silence appropriately.
30. To more effectively use feedback, one can make it
A) obvious.
B) appropriate.
C) positive.
D) immediate.
E) all of the options are correct.
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Answer Key