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1. Who wrote Rhetoric, a systematic analysis of the art and practice of public speaking?
A) Aristotle
B) Cicero
C) Quintilian
D) Sojourner Truth
2. __________ emphasized the ideal of an ethical orator.
A) Angelina Grimké
B) Malala Yousafzai
C) Quintilian
D) Cicero
3. Who used his or her public speaking skills to help fuel the antislavery movement?
A) Aristotle
B) Mikhail Gorbachev
C) Malala Yousafzai
D) Sojourner Truth
4. President __________ used his public speaking skills to challenge Russian leader
Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall” while speaking to the world from the Brandenburg
Gate in Berlin.
A) George Washington
B) Abraham Lincoln
C) Ronald Reagan
D) George W. Bush
5. Malala Yousafzai has been vocally advocating for girls’ education since she was ten years
old. The story of Malala Yousafzai illustrates the idea that __________.
A) many professions do not require public speaking skills
B) public speaking can reach international audiences
C) speakers cannot be persuasive if the topic is controversial
D) the best speakers memorize their speeches
6. Which statement about public speaking is true?
A) It features communication between a speaker and an audience.
B) It is speaker-centered.
C) It emphasizes the written word.
D) It is generally an impromptu presentation.
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7. The core of a public speaker’s message is __________.
A) nonverbal communication
B) presentation aids
C) live demonstrations
D) verbal expression
8. Which of the following is a classical canon of rhetoric?
A) Volume
B) Style
C) Misdirection
D) Presentation aids
9. “Speakers use limited notes that remind them of key ideas while enabling them to
develop the ideas conversationally.” Which classical cannon of rhetoric does this statement
reflect?
A) Arrangement
B) Memory
C) Invention
D) Style
10. Which classical canon of rhetoric involves maintaining eye contact with your listeners?
A) Arrangement
B) Invention
C) Delivery
D) Memory
11. When you are assigned a public speaking project, you should __________.
A) organize your preparation plan into three large steps
B) wait as long as possible to prepare your speech outline
C) set up a schedule for completing each major step of the process
D) begin researching for your speech before selecting a topic
12. When you use audience analysis to tailor your message to your audience, your listeners
will __________.
A) be more interested in your speech
B) be ambivalent in their feelings toward you
C) pay less attention to what you have to say
D) be less likely to open their minds to your speech
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13. __________ refer to factors that you can observe or discover before you give your
speech.
A) Mind maps
B) Thesis statements
C) Canons of rhetoric
D) Situational characteristics
14. Which is a type of demographic information?
A) Audience size
B) Race
C) Presentation time
D) Forum
15. Which type of demographic information are you ignoring if you fail to take LGBT
listeners into consideration during your audience analysis?
A) Race
B) Gender
C) Sexual orientation
D) Religious orientation
16. Drew was running for mayor of Philadelphia and decided to wear a Philadelphia Eagles
jersey during his speech. What was he attempting to do?
A) Incorporate audience demographics
B) Analyze situational characteristics
C) Seek common ground
D) Identify prior exposure
17. Which question should you ask when attempting to identify whether your audience has
had prior exposure to your topic?
A) How can I make my message better?
B) Has my audience heard this message before?
C) How many people will be in my audience?
D) What is my rhetorical purpose?
18. Brainstorming is an effective method for __________.
A) identifying your rhetorical purpose
B) performing audience analysis
C) establishing your specific purpose
D) developing a set of potential topics
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19. You should __________ when creating a mind map.
A) use images instead of words
B) write in cursive
C) use only blue or black ink
D) jot down new ideas wherever they fit
20. It is important to __________ when selecting your topic.
A) determine your rhetorical purpose
B) consider the audience’s background
C) take as much time as you want
D) disregard your own interests
21. Your intended effect on the audience constitutes your __________.
A) rhetorical purpose
B) specific purpose
C) thesis statement
D) audience analysis
22. Which is an example of a primary rhetorical purpose for a speech?
A) To entertain
B) To question
C) To inform
D) To inspire
23. What is your rhetorical purpose if you are trying to convince your listeners to take a
particular action?
A) To inform
B) To persuade
C) To mark a special occasion
D) To entertain
24. After you’ve identified your rhetorical purpose and narrowed your topic, your next step
is to determine your __________.
A) thesis statement
B) audience analysis
C) specific purpose
D) general purpose
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25. How long should your thesis statement be?
A) One sentence
B) A few sentences
C) One paragraph
D) Two to three paragraphs
26. A knack for public speaking is one of the most important assets you can possess in the
workplace.
A) True
B) False
27. As far back as the fifth century B.C.E., adult male Athenians were expected to
participate in self-government and speak out in the assembly.
A) True
B) False
28. Public speaking has played a key role in American history.
A) True
B) False
29. The antislavery movement relied on public speaking to propel social change.
A) True
B) False
30. Public speaking is speaker-centered.
A) True
B) False
31. Public speaking emphasizes the spoken word.
A) True
B) False
32. Public speaking is generally an impromptu presentation.
A) True
B) False
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33. Contemporary speeches are generally memorized.
A) True
B) False
34. You should wait a few days after receiving the assignment before you begin researching
for your speech.
A) True
B) False
35. Listeners experience positive feelings toward the speaker when he or she has made an
effort to understand their concerns.
A) True
B) False
36. The larger the group, the greater the opportunity you will have to interact with audience
members and to tailor the message to their needs.
A) True
B) False
37. You will likely lose your audience’s attention and favor if the length of your presentation
exceeds their expectations.
A) True
B) False
38. The location in which you deliver your presentation is called the forum.
A) True
B) False
39. Demographics tell you the interests and beliefs of individual group members.
A) True
B) False
40. Acknowledging sexual orientation can be accomplished both overtly and passively.
A) True
B) False
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41. If the audience has not heard the message before, then you can use any ideas that you
expect the audience to find interesting or convincing.
A) True
B) False
42. If the audience didn’t like what they heard in your previous speech, then you’ll want to
push the envelope in your next speech.
A) True
B) False
43. Research is often an effective way to begin your topic selection process.
A) True
B) False
44. Word association begins by listing a single topic, or idea, then writing down whatever
comes to mind when you think about that idea.
A) True
B) False
45. When selecting a topic for a classroom speech, it is best to use obvious topics, such as
the drinking age or capital punishment.
A) True
B) False
46. Once you have selected the topic for your speech, you should stick with it.
A) True
B) False
47. When your purpose is to mark a special occasion, you seek to honor an occasion by
entertaining, inspiring, or emotionally moving your audience.
A) True
B) False
48. It is OK to exceed the time allocated for a classroom presentation if you are making a
solid argument backed by irrefutable evidence.
A) True
B) False
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49. When drafting your specific purpose, start with a phrase expressing your rhetorical
purpose.
A) True
B) False
50. You should create your thesis statement before you determine your specific purpose.
A) True
B) False
51. _________________ is the generation and selection of ideas that you will develop in
your speech.
52. _________________, or organization, refers to the structuring of your main ideas and
the material that supports them in a manner that will make your message clear and memorable to
your audience.
53. The choice of language that will express your ideas to the audience in a clear, interesting,
and ethical manner is called _________________.
54. _________________refers to the preparation and practice needed to get ready for your
speech, so that you will be in command of the material while you are presenting.
55. ______________ refers to the effective use of verbal and nonverbal communication
skills when presenting your speech.
56. _________________ is the process of learning about an audience’s interests and
background.
57. The length of time that is available for your presentation is called _________________
time.
58. _________________ time is the time of day or day of the week when you will be
presenting.
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59. Audience _________________ refer to listener characteristics, such as age, gender, and
political affiliation.
60. _________________are oversimplified and often distorted views of what it means to be
male or female.
61. Language with a bias for or against a given gender is_________________ language.
62. _________________ refers to cultural background that is usually associated with shared
religion, national origin, and language.
63. Beliefs, values, and experiences that you share with your listeners are called
_________________.
64. To use _________________, write down a word or phrase in the middle of a large piece
of blank paper, and then surround it with words and images representing other ideas that come
to you.
65. The objective of your speech is called its _________________.
66. Discuss the benefits of studying public speaking. Be sure to explain how it can help you
in specific contexts.
67. What makes the public speaking discipline so special? How is it different from other
communication disciplines, such as interpersonal communication, small group communication,
and mass communication?
68. Describe and discuss Cicero’s classical canons of rhetoric.
69. Imagine that you are giving a speech to your class next week. Perform an audience
analysis based on situational characteristics only.
70. What is the process you should use when developing a set of potential topics for your
speech? Describe each step.
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Answer Key
1. A
2. C
3. D
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