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1. If Marcie and Mark have a struggle where they believe their goals are incompatible, but
in fact their goals are compatible, they are demonstrating
A) conflict.
B) escalation.
C) demand-withdraw pattern.
D) domination.
E) pseudo-conflict.
2. Kitchen sinking is
A) holding a grudge against your relational partner.
B) dredging up past, unrelated problems.
C) an effective conflict-management strategy.
D) an authoritative use of power.
E) piling the dishes in the sink to upset your relational partner.
3. When Rob sat down with Pat to discuss their relational separation, Pat began by bringing
up old issues and problems that had long since been addressed. Pat is engaging in
A) power distance.
B) sniping.
C) escalation.
D) dirty secrets.
E) kitchen sinking.
4. Which of the following is NOT a barrier to or result from destructive messages to
conflict?
A) sniping
B) sudden-death statements
C) dirty secrets
D) lose face or embarrassment
E) separation
5. Conflict can be described by the following characteristics EXCEPT
A) a clash between goals.
B) it occurs over time.
C) it proceeds through stages.
D) it is grounded in actuality not perception.
E) all of the options are correct.
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6. Which of the following is NOT true about conflict?
A) most conflict occurs outside the home
B) most conflict occurs between those who know each other well
C) most conflict occurs between those who have established relationships
D) most conflict occurs between family members and romantic partners
E) most conflict occurs between those who have disagreements over scarce resources
7. The relationship between power and conflict is best described as
A) people without power are less likely to use accommodation.
B) people with power are less likely to use collaboration.
C) people with power can choose to use or not use accommodation.
D) people without power often use avoidance.
E) none of the options are correct.
8. If a member of your group is more focused on his or her own goals than on the group’s
needs, he or she is demonstrating what approach to conflict?
A) accommodation
B) competition
C) avoidance
D) collaboration
E) compromise
9. While attending a show you are disturbed by a child behind you who talks incessantly
while repeatedly kicking the back of your seat. You respond by occasionally turning around and
fidgeting in your seat. What type of conflict-management style are you exhibiting?
A) collaboration
B) competition
C) accommodation
D) avoidance
E) withdrawal
10. If you try to manage a conflict with your girlfriend using instant messaging and she
writes nasty comments about you and then signs off before you could reply, what conflict
approach is your girlfriend using?
A) sniping
B) competition
C) accommodation
D) avoidance
E) withdrawal
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11. Cumulative annoyance
A) is a form of avoidance.
B) occurs when one communicates negatively.
C) eventually leads to an angry outburst.
D) occurs when one abandons a conflict encounter.
E) occurs when one jokes about or changes topic during a conflict episode.
12. Pseudo-conflict is
A) an effective conflict-management strategy.
B) a mini-conflict.
C) the absence of conflict.
D) the perception that a conflict exists when it doesn’t.
E) the perception that a conflict does not exist when it does.
13. If your supervisor asks you to work late and you agree even though you had a movie date
scheduled, what conflict-management style are you using?
A) sniping
B) competition
C) accommodation
D) avoidance
E) withdrawal
14. If Kevin and CJ deal with conflict by aggressively challenging one another, what style of
conflict management are they using?
A) sniping
B) competition
C) accommodation
D) avoidance
E) withdrawal
15. Escalation is
A) a decrease in intensity of conflict.
B) a risk of using competition.
C) a result of terminating a relationship.
D) when people disclose hurtful feelings about their partner.
E) none of the options are correct.
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16. When filing for divorce your ex states, “Let’s try to figure out a plan so we can both end
up happy and have joint custody of the kids.” What conflict-management style is he or she
attempting to use?
A) collaboration
B) competition
C) accommodation
D) avoidance
E) withdrawal
17. If while fighting with your new bride, you exclaim, “I don’t know why we even got
married, we are so different,” you are demonstrating
A) a dirty secret.
B) skirting.
C) sniping.
D) a sudden-death statement.
E) pseudo-conflict.
18. Collaborative conflict management includes all of the following EXCEPT
A) attack the problem, not people.
B) focus on common interests.
C) develop creative options before making decisions.
D) evaluate your solution.
E) pseudo-conflict.
19. Separation is
A) a way for one party to get his or her way.
B) when both parties change their conflict goals.
C) the result of a failure to compromise.
D) an effective method of dealing with conflict.
E) a conflict ending, where one party withdraws from the conflict.
20. Structural improvements are
A) when two people develop a creative solution to solve their problem.
B) when one person gets his or her way.
C) when one party withdraws from the conflict encounter.
D) when people change relationship rules to prevent conflict.
E) when one person uses accommodation while the other gets his or her way.
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21. Integrative agreements are
A) when two people develop a creative solution to solve their problem.
B) when one person gets his or her way.
C) when one party withdraws from the conflict encounter.
D) when people manage emotion and use collaboration to manage conflict.
E) when one person uses accommodation while the other gets his or her way.
22. Frank influences his partner Alicia and seems to always get her to comply with his needs
and wishes. However, it seems she always has to accommodate to his needs. What short-term
conflict resolution form is Frank demonstrating?
A) separation
B) domination
C) compromise
D) competition
E) accommodation
23. If the United States makes demands of Syria who, in turn, makes their own demands of
the United States, and both parties agree to make concessions where neither party is getting
exactly what they wanted, what conflict resolution is being used?
A) separation
B) domination
C) compromise
D) competition
E) accommodation
24. Which of the following is true about using a collaborative approach to managing
conflict?
A) results in high satisfaction of relationships
B) experience shorter disputes
C) experience fewer disputes
D) experience better long-term outcomes
E) all of the options are correct
25. After your boyfriend hangs up on you demanding that you delete his contact
information, you block his ability to text and call you. You are both engaging in which conflict
ending?
A) separation
B) domination
C) compromise
D) avoidance
E) integrative agreements
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26. Stephen tells his ex that she lies about where she goes on the weekends and texts other
guys frequently, and is a bad girlfriend. He says, “I should have known you’d be a bad
girlfriend, since your last three boyfriends broke up with you.” Stephen is demonstrating
A) integrative agreement.
B) structural improvement.
C) separation.
D) kitchen sinking.
E) escalation.
27. Which of the following suggestions would you NOT recommend to an individualist in
trying to manage a conflict with a collectivist?
A) use a third-party mediator
B) help them save face
C) use indirect communication
D) avoid humiliation or embarrassment
E) avoid using a third-party mediator
28. Which of the following suggestions would a collectivist be wise to use in attempting to
resolve a conflict with an individualist?
A) remember that conflicts are separate from people
B) use direct language
C) focus on conflict, not personalities
D) be assertive
E) all of the options are correct
29. Which of the following statements regarding the relationships between culture and
conflict is true?
A) individualists and collectivists approach conflict differently
B) individualists prefer to use avoidance
C) collectivists prefer to use collaboration
D) individualists prefer to use a third-party mediator
E) collectivists are less concerned with nonverbal communication
30. Research on culture and conflict has found all of the following EXCEPT
A) individualists seem to prefer collaboration more than collectivists.
B) collaboration is the preferred conflict-management style for all cultures.
C) collectivists seem to primarily use avoidance.
D) collectivists view direct conflict styles as a personal attack.
E) individualists prefer an assertive communication style using “I” messages.
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31. Pseudo-conflict occurs
A) when two people agree to disagree.
B) when two people misunderstand each another.
C) when a partner perceives a conflict where none really exists.
D) when partners understand each other but simply disagree.
E) none of the options are correct.
32. The relationship between conflict and power suggests
A) if you have power, you are more likely to use competition.
B) if you have less power, you are more likely to use competition.
C) if you have power, you are more likely to accommodate.
D) if you have power, you are likely to escalate conflict.
E) if you have less power, you are likely to engage in kitchen sinking.
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Answer Key