KEY
Chapter 11: Preparing and Researching Presentations
Multiple-Choice Questions
1. Speeches that are intended to influence the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of an audience are called
2. When a politician is asked to speak at the opening of a new library, he or she would be delivering which type of
speech?
3. “The systematic study of the quantifiable characteristics of a large group” defines which of the following
terms?
4. The process of amassing information, thinking creatively, and considering problems and solutions related to
your topic is most closely associated with which of the following terms?
5. As Jill begins to prepare for her informative speech, she tries to come up with topic ideas by first writing down
the name of the town where she was born, Chicago, and then writing down other words she associates with it.
Eventually, she has a complex web of ideas spilled across the page that includes tourist attractions, sports
teams, famous people who live or work there, and the great fire that nearly destroyed the city. What process has
she used to come up with these potential topics?
6. Which of the following is a specific purpose statement?
7. A statement that conveys the central idea or core assumption about your topic is a __________ statement.
8. Which of the following statements would be classified as a thesis statement?
9. In her speech on the process of producing television news, Julia references an opinion statement made by a
professor from Arizona State University who teaches a course in broadcast journalism. What type of research
information is she using to support her speech?
10. Numerical expressions used to show trends, size, or relationships are called
11. As he opens his speech persuading his classmates to donate their used shoes to a charity, Jonah tells a brief
story about a child who has no shoes and must walk to school barefoot. What type of information is he using to
support his speech?
12. Dan used a Web-based service to ask a large group of people a set of questions related to his topic to find out
what others thought about the subject. We would say that Dan was using a/an
13. Google would best be categorized as what kind of research tool?
14. __________ is defined as “the crime of presenting someone else’s words, ideas, or intellectual property as your
own, intentionally or unintentionally.”
15. Incorruptibility, the ability to avoid compromise for the sake of personal gain, is most closely associated with
which of the following terms?
16. According to the textbook, ethical speaking is usually characterized by all but one of the following principles.
Which one does not belong?
17. Presenting an audience with opposing views so that they are able to make an informed decision is most closely
related to which principle of ethical speaking?
1. Public speaking is consistently identified as one of the most important skills needed for professional success.
5. At the end of his presentation, Bill hopes his audience will see that lowering taxes will do more to stimulate the
economy than increased government work projects will. We would classify his speech as an informative
6. Most classroom speakers do not need to bother with audience analysis since they already know their
7. The salience, or significance, of particular demographic characteristics often changes based on the reason why
8. Because the typical classroom audience is both diverse and passive, audience expectations are not considered
9. Narrow topics are usually easier to research, organize, and speak about than broad topics are. True
11. “My audience should realize that a coffee tasting is more complicated than just brewing a pot of coffee and
inviting some friends over, but feel like it’s something they could organize if they wanted to,” is an example of
12. The opinion of a licensed clinical social worker on the top reasons why people in your community become
13. Statistics are considered to be the best form of speech support because they are concrete, memorable, and
14. Anecdotes are especially useful when a speaker wants to personalize a speech and make it more memorable to
18. Reliable Web sites usually provide the name and credentials of the author as well as relevant background
19. Plagiarism refers to both the intentional and unintentional presentation of someone else’s words, ideas, or
20. While plagiarism is emphasized as a part of most colleges’ academic honesty policies, there are rarely
22. The First Amendment right to free speech protects a speaker’s right to say anything he or she wants, regardless
23. Treating people with dignity and behaving with integrity are universal ideas central to the concept of ethics.
24. While researching her persuasive speech convincing her audience to donate money to a charity that provides
food and other necessities to children who live in poverty, Liz discovered that the charity recently admitted that
their chief administrator embezzled money that was donated to the organization for his own personal gain. Liz
Short-Answer Questions
1. Briefly describe the characteristics that distinguish public speaking from other types of communication.
H = The Power of Public Speaking (p. 234); C = comprehension; D = 2
2. Provide an example of a situation where you might have to deliver a public speech in your career.
H = The Power of Public Speaking (p. 234); C = comprehension; D = 1
3. How would you define an informative speech?
H = Informative Speeches (p. 235); C = knowledge; D = 1
4. How does a persuasive speech differ from an informative speech?
H = Informative Speeches (p. 235) and Persuasive Speeches (p. 237); C = comprehension; D = 2
5. Give an example of a special-occasion speech one might have to deliver.
H = Special-Occasion Speeches (p. 238); C = comprehension; D = 2
6. Based on your observation and research, provide an example of one salient demographic characteristic of your
classroom audience.
H = Considering Audience Demographics (p. 241); C = analysis; D = 3
7. Speakers can capitalize on the commonalities among their audience members to create a sense of common
ground. We refer to this sameness as __________.
H = Anticipating your Audience’s Response (p. 242); C = comprehension; D = 2
8. Briefly describe the process of clustering, as it is explained in your textbook.
H = Brainstorming and Clustering (p. 243); C = knowledge; D = 2
9. “My audience will know more about how the Internet has changed the way we communicate, learn, and do
business” is an example of what type of statement developed in the preparation process for an informative
speech?
H = Determining the Specific Purpose of Your Speech (p. 244); C = comprehension; D = 2
10. Contrast lay testimony and expert testimony.
H = Testimony (p. 246); C = knowledge; D = 1
11. Facts and statistics can be boring, so effective speakers use __________ to breathe life into their speeches by
personalizing them and giving a “face” to the facts and statistics they have used.
H = Anecdotes (p. 247); C = knowledge; D = 2
12. __________ involve soliciting answers to a question or series of questions related to your topic from a broad
range of individuals.
H = Talk to People (p. 247); C = knowledge; D = 1
13. Define plagiarism.
H = Recognizing Plagiarism (p. 252); C = knowledge; D = 1
14. Briefly explain why speakers need to keep track of whether they have copied information from a source
verbatim or if they have paraphrased.
H = Taking Accurate Notes (p. 252); C = comprehension; D = 2
15. List and briefly describe three of the four characteristics of ethical speaking identified in your textbook.
H = Speaking Ethically and Responsibly (p. 255); C = knowledge; D = 3
Essay Questions
1. Pulling together what you have learned throughout this chapter, why would you say it is important for college
students to take a public speaking course?
C = comprehension and synthesis; D = 2
2. Compare and contrast the three general purposes for speaking. Briefly list and describe one example of each
type of speech you have been an audience member for during your life.
C = comprehension and application; D = 1
3. Explain why audience analysis is important in the speech preparation process and how a speaker would go
about analyzing his or her audience.
C = comprehension; D = 2
4. Aisha needs to give a speech in one of her classes, but isn’t having any luck coming up with a good topic for
the presentation—she doesn’t seem to know how to get started. What would you say to her to explain the
process a speaker goes through to develop ideas for, select, and then narrow his or her topic for a speech?
C = comprehension and synthesis; D = 2
5. List and define the various types of information discussed in your textbook that a speaker could use to clarify
the ideas in his or her speech. Are there notable advantages or disadvantages to using any specific types of
supporting information?
H = comprehension, synthesis, and analysis; D = 3
6. Your roommate is researching a presentation for one of his classes, but is having a tough time with it. He tells
you that he just can’t find any information. Based on what you learned in this chapter, what advice would you
give to help him gather good information?
C = comprehension and application; D = 2
7. What do you think are the most important criteria for evaluating the quality of a source? Why? Based on these
criteria, provide an example of a source you would recommend using and a source you would not recommend
using, and give a brief explanation why.
C = comprehension and evaluation; D = 3
8. Describe and provide an example of plagiarism that one might commit or observe in a professional speaking
context. Why do we consider plagiarism to be a problem? What steps can a speaker take to ensure he or she is
not committing the crime of plagiarism?
C = comprehension, application, and analysis; D = 2
9. Why are ethics important in public speaking, and what steps should a speaker take to ensure he or she takes
responsibility for his or her own speech and communicates ethically?
10. Your friend Don has been assigned the task of giving an informative speech. Don is very passionate about
animal rights, and after contemplating his personal interests he has decided to give a speech on how a
vegetarian diet benefits people, animals, and our planet in hopes that his audience will think twice the next time
they eat meat. Synthesizing information from throughout this chapter, what advice would you give Don to help
him prepare and research a great presentation for this assignment?
C = comprehension, application, synthesis, and evaluation; D = 3
