Chapter 7: Listening
Test Bank
Multiple Choice
1. The most likely objective of critical listening is ______.
a. enjoyment or appreciation
b. comprehension of information
c. deciding whether or not a message is valuable and useful
d. enabling someone to talk about a problem or concern
2. The most likely objective of therapeutic listening is _____.
a. enjoyment or appreciation
b. comprehension of information
c. deciding whether or not a message is valuable and useful
d. enabling someone to talk about a problem or concern
3. Interpreting, the third step in the listening process, consists of ______.
a. receiving sensory stimuli
b. perceiving and focusing on sensory stimuli
c. assigning meaning to sensory stimuli
d. reacting or responding to a message
4. Relational listening is best characterized as the ability to ______.
a. accurately paraphrase a message
b. understand how communication affects the relationship and vice versa
c. receive sensory stimuli
d. perceive and focus on sensory stimuli
5. In relational listening, a key question the listener might ask himself or herself would
be which of these?
a. Does this message correspond with my understanding of this relationship?
b. Am I able to accurately paraphrase this message?
c. Am I able to receive sensory stimuli?
d. Am I able to attend to and process sensory stimuli?
6. Physical location and room temperature are typical of ______.
a. environmental listening distractions
b. medium distractions
c. source distractions
d. semantic diversion
7. Noise in a cell phone connection, problems with audio in a teleconference, or Internet
difficulties with an online videoconference are typical of ______.
a. environmental distractions
b. medium distractions
c. source distractions
d. semantic diversion
8. Flashy jewelry, an accent you are not familiar with, or frequent verbal nonfluencies
such as “um” and “you know” are typical of ______.
a. environmental distractions
b. medium distractions
c. source distractions
d. semantic diversion
9. Listening to and trying to get down every single point and fact a speaker shares while
missing the main point of the message is typical of ______.
a. environmental distractions
b. medium distractions
c. factual diversion
d. semantic diversion
10. Being distracted by unfamiliar or offensive words in a speaker’s message is typical
of ______.
a. environmental distractions
b. medium distractions
c. factual diversion
d. semantic diversion
11. If a partner is asked how he or she is doing and gives the response “Fine” but is
teary-eyed, you need to probe for the deeper levels of meaning to avoid this listening
problem.
a. Content or representational listening
b. Selective listening
c. Egocentric listening
d. Experiential superiority
12. Taking notes and being attentive to a lecture only when your instructor says, “This
will be on the next quiz,” is typical of ______.
a. content or representational listening
b. selective listening
c. egocentric listening
d. experiential superiority
13. Listening to a conversation only to find opportunities to talk about yourself and your
own experiences is typical of ______.
a. content or representational listening
b. selective listening
c. egocentric listening
d. experiential superiority
14. Failing to listen attentively to a speaker because you believe you know more than
the speaker does is typical of ______.
a. content or representational listening
b. selective listening
c. egocentric listening
d. experiential superiority
15. When you hear an ad promising a “lifetime warranty” on a product and doubt
whether or not the offer is “for real,” you are using critical listening to evaluate the
message’s ______.
a. plausibility
b. source
c. argument
d. evidence
16. When you critically examine the verifiability, quantity, and quality of the support for a
speaker’s argument, you are evaluating which of the following?
a. Plausibility
b. Source
c. Evidence
d. Context
1. CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following are involved in the three steps in
the listening process?
a. Attending
b. Receiving
c. Engaging
d. Interpreting
2. CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY. Engaged listening involves ______.
a. feeling concerned
b. caring
c. feeling excited
d. wanting to know more
3. CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY. Which is NOT considered an obstacle to listening well?
a. Message complexity
b. Consistency
c. Past experience with the source
d. Experiential superiority
4. CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY. Effective listening skills are crucial to career success
and advancement because ______.
a. most success and achievement from a career standpoint can be connected to
effective listening
b. effective listening can be an asset in business meetings, strategy sessions, and
customer relations
c. listening is a vital ability in leadership activities
d. employers frequently rank listening as one of the most sought-after skills
5. CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY. As a critical listener, which criteria must you use to
evaluate the evidence of the material being provided?
a. Quality
b. Quantity
c. Assumption
d. Verifiability
6. CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY. Which are considered to be objectives of listening?
a. Past experience with the source
b. Relational development and enhancement
c. Enjoyment and appreciation
d. Gaining and comprehending information
1. People tend to be more critical of messages from individuals of equal status than of
those from higher-status individuals.
2. According to research, listening is the communication activity in which we engage
most frequently.
3. Listening is the most frequently taught communication skill at all educational levels.
4. Listening is the most frequently used communication skill in secondary and college
education.
5. Listening is used in all symbolic activities except spirituality.
6. Reflecting is also known as paraphrasing.
7. Feedback given in response to a message is exclusively verbal.
8. Active listening is generally sufficient for effective communication.
9. Critical evaluation encompasses every aspect of daily life and all symbolic activity.
10. All listening situations entail one objective.
1. What word is used to describe your reaction to the communication of another
person?
2. Give an example of listening in order to gain and comprehend information.
3. What is the objective of such listening experiences as listening to music or listening to
birds chirp?
4. What word describes the part of the active listening process when you perceived and
focus on stimuli?
5. When a message is free of internal contradiction and is in harmony with information
known to be true, it is described as having ______.
6. Boilerplate apologies from the bank/airline/hotel after receiving a complaint is an
example of what type of listening?
7. When you recognize, understand, and address the interconnection of relationships
and communication during the listening process, you are practicing what type of
listening?
5. Define the difference between engaged and disengaged listening.
6. Describe relational development and enhancement as a listening objective.
7. Wandering thoughts—also known as daydreaming—can be caused by lack of
interest in the topic being presented, but not always. Give another reason for such lack
of attention and how it can be overcome.
8. Describe intrapersonal and interpersonal listening as components of listening in
religion and spirituality.
9. Describe the primary and secondary functions of reflecting, sometimes referred to as
paraphrasing, as components of active listening.
10. Describe how listening is a fundamental element of health care.