1.
Originally, the practice of giving speeches was known as ________ or oratory.
2.
A form of communication between two people, such as a conversation, is ________
communication.
3.
________ is the process of interpreting a message.
4.
The mutual understanding of a message between the speaker and the audience is called
______ _________.
5.
________ is the audience’s verbal or nonverbal responses to a message.
6.
________, also called noise, is any physical, emotional, psychological, or environmental
barrier to communication.
7.
Anything influencing the speaker, audience, occasion, or speech is called ________.
8.
A clearly defined specific ________ ________ or goal helps the speaker maintain a
clear focus.
Answer Key
1.
rhetoric
2.
dyadic
3.
Decoding
4.
shared meaning
5.
Feedback
6.
Interference
7.
context
8.
speech purpose
Page 3
1.
Speaking effectively can enhance your career professionally, personally, and
academically.
A)
True
B)
False
2.
Communication skills are one of the top job skills sought by most employers.
A)
True
B)
False
3.
Developing public speaking skills discourages civic engagement.
A)
True
B)
False
4.
The practice of oratory, or rhetoric, emerged in Greece around the fifth century B.C.E.
A)
True
B)
False
5.
Athenians routinely spoke publicly about personal quarrels in the agora in order to be
more active citizens.
A)
True
B)
False
6.
Delivery includes the nonverbal behavior you use while making your case.
A)
True
B)
False
7.
The five canons of rhetoric are invention, adaptation, arrangement, timing, and delivery.
A)
True
B)
False
8.
The contemporary term for any one of a variety of places used for discussing issues of
public interest is a public forum.
A)
True
B)
False
Page 4
9.
Unlike many forms of communication, public speaking is a skill you are born with.
A)
True
B)
False
10.
Dyadic communication is between a speaker and a large, unknown audience.
A)
True
B)
False
11.
The source, or sender, is the person who receives the message.
A)
True
B)
False
12.
Creating, organizing, and producing the message is termed encoding.
A)
True
B)
False
13.
The receiver decodes or interprets the message.
A)
True
B)
False
14.
The audience’s responses to a message are primarily nonverbal.
A)
True
B)
False
15.
Interference with the message is known as noise.
A)
True
B)
False
16.
The channel is the content of the communication process.
A)
True
B)
False
17.
Shared meaning is the mutual understanding of a message between speaker and
audience.
A)
True
B)
False
Page 5
18.
Being an audience-centered speaker means keeping the needs and values of your
audience in mind.
A)
True
B)
False
19.
Benefits of public speaking do NOT include
A)
learning practical skills and knowledge.
B)
finding new ways to be an engaged citizen.
C)
improving hand-eye coordination.
D)
accomplishing professional and personal goals.
20.
Which of the following is one of the five canons of rhetoric?
A)
argument
B)
delivery
C)
persuasion
D)
adaptation
21.
Invention refers to
A)
discovering evidence and arguments you will use to make your case.
B)
organizing your ideas to suit your audience.
C)
practicing the speech until it can be artfully delivered.
D)
coming up with original gestures as a form of persuasion.
22.
Communication between two people is called
A)
mass communication.
B)
small group communication.
C)
dyadic communication.
D)
public speaking.
23.
In this form of communication, the receiver is physically removed from the messenger,
and there is little or no interaction between the speaker and the audience.
A)
mass communication
B)
small group communication
C)
public speaking
D)
dyadic communication
Page 6
24.
Which of the following involves delivering a specific message to an in-person audience?
A)
mass communication
B)
dyadic communication
C)
electronic communication
D)
public speaking
25.
All communication events include all the following EXCEPT
A)
a source.
B)
a message.
C)
an electronic device.
D)
a channel or medium.
26.
Which of the following is the process of interpreting a message?
A)
decoding
B)
encoding
C)
sending
D)
channeling
27.
Transforming ideas and thoughts into messages is called
A)
encoding.
B)
decoding.
C)
receiving.
D)
channeling.
28.
The recipient of the source’s message is
A)
the encoder.
B)
the channel.
C)
the receiver.
D)
the orator.
29.
The audience’s response to a message is referred to as
A)
shared meaning.
B)
feedback.
C)
the medium.
D)
decoding.
Page 7
30.
When we refer to noise in the communication process, we are referring to
A)
sounds that make it hard to hear the speaker.
B)
any interference with the message.
C)
the medium through which the message is sent.
D)
speaking to a live audience rather than written communication.
31.
Keeping the needs, values, attitudes, and wants of your listeners clearly in focus is being
A)
audience-centered.
B)
a receiver.
C)
contextually aware.
D)
a decoder.
Answer Key
1.
Discuss how public speaking skills relate to becoming a more engaged citizen.
2.
List and describe three of the five canons of rhetoric.
3.
Explain how the craft of public speaking uses conversational skills you already have.
4.
Compare and contrast public speaking and writing: How are they similar, and how is
public speaking its own distinct discipline?
5.
Discuss the shared characteristics of mass communication and public speaking.
6.
List and describe one similarity and one difference between public speaking and small
group communication.
7.
Give examples of interference in a public speaking situation.
8.
Define what it means for a speaker to be audience-centered.
9.
Why is it important for speakers to clearly define their goals?
Answer Key