Chapter 10: Outlining Your Speech
Test Bank
Multiple Choice
1. An outline helps you with all of the following EXCEPT
a. organizing your ideas.
b. clarifying your ideas.
c. assessing the relationships among your ideas.
d. developing the visual aids for your speech.
2. By using an outline you can do all of the following EXCEPT
a. confirm clarity of the purpose statement.
b. confirm clarity of the central idea or proposition.
c. critique construction of both main points and subpoints.
d. critique supporting materials for your speech.
3. Which of the following is NOT true regarding your outline?
a. It is a good idea, but not necessary.
b. It helps guide your speech.
c. It ensures that your speech has unity and coherence, and that every one of your main
points and subpoints is well developed and adequately supported.
d. It helps you verify that your points are supported.
4. An outline also functions as a ______ for your presentation.
a. roadmap
b. compass
c. symbol
b. metaphor
5. The ______ outline is a sparse outline containing a few words to identify the key
points of your speech.
a. preliminary
b. working
c. basic
d. incomplete
6. The second stage of creating an outline for your speech is to create the full ______
outline.
a. sentence
b. word
c. idea
d. theme
7. Which of the following is a name for what you create during the final stage of outline
preparation?
a. Working outline
b. Idea outline
c. Full sentence outline
d. Extemporaneous outline
8. The ______ ideas of your speech are the subtopics of your speech that directly
support your thesis.
a. primary
b. main
c. subordinate
d. secondary
9. The ______ ideas of your speech are those ideas that function as support or
amplification for your main ideas or subtopics.
a. primary
b. main
c. subordinate
d. secondary
10. ______ are the key ideas or central themes of the speech.
a. Topics
b. Arguments
c. Main points
d. Key issues
11. Which of the following is NOT true regarding main points?
a. The order of main points should flow logically.
b. They should be easily identifiable as main points.
c. They have specific guidelines for order.
d. They should be clear.
12. ______ ideas are the foundation on which larger ideas are constructed.
a. Secondary
b. Building
c. Subordinate
d. Coordinate
13. Items that support the subpoints begin directly underneath
a. the first letter of each subpoint.
b. the second letter of each subpoint.
c. the first letter of each main point.
d. the second letter of each main point.
14. In your outline, your main points will be represented with
a. Roman numerals I, II, III, etc.
b. lowercase letters a, b, c, etc.
c. capital letters A, B, C, etc.
d. Arabic numbers 1, 2, 3, etc.
15. The idea that all the main points you discuss should be of equal weight or
substance, means that your outline should consist of______.
a. harmonize points
b. coordinate points
c. consistency points
d. equal points
16. If you discuss one main point for 15 minutes, while only focusing for another main
point for 3, you do not have
a. harmonize points.
b. coordinate points.
c. consistency points.
d. equal points.
17. A good outline must be devised in such a way that the concepts in it exhibit
a. parallelism.
b. synchronicity.
c. divergence.
d. polarity.
18. All of the following are true about a good outline, EXCEPT
a. every entry is subdivided into two or more points.
b. the entries all rely on the same grammatical pattern.
c. the entries are complete simple sentences.
d. the entries include all evidence used in the speech.
19. In public speaking, ______ work as bridges from idea to idea.
a. facts
b. words
c. transitions
d. sentences
20. Words and phrases such as “before,” “after,” “later,” “at the same time,” “while,” and
“finally” are ______ transitions.
a. chronological
b. contrasting
c. causal
d. complementary
21. ______ transitions use words that show how the idea that follows differs from the
ones that precede it.
a. Chronological
b. Contrasting
c. Causal
d. Complementary
22. ______ transitions help show the cause-and-effect relationships between the ideas.
a. Chronological
b. Contrasting
c. Causal
d. Complementary
23. Words and phrases such as “also,” “next,” “in addition to,” and “likewise” are ______
transitions.
a. chronological
b. contrasting
c. causal
d. complementary
24. Which of the following statements is NOT true regarding internal previews?
a. They help hold your speech together like a transition.
b. Internal previews are generally longer than transitions.
c. Internal previews are generally shorter than transitions.
d. They help prepare audience members for what is coming next.
25. If an internal ______ is combined with an internal preview, a bridge to the next
section of the speech is created.
a. wrap
b. summary
c. transition
d. phrase
26. “Above all else, remember this,” is an example of
a. transition.
b. internal summary.
c. signpost.
d. internal preview.
27. The “essential ingredients” you’ll need when practicing your speech are all of the
following EXCEPT
a. your speech notes.
b. an audience.
c. a clock or wristwatch.
d. a tape or video recorder.
28. A ______ approach is useful in making revisions.
a. modular
b. chunking
c. rewind
d. critical
Short Answer
29. An outline helps ______ and clarify your ideas.
30. According to traditional rules of outlining, that at least ______ subpoint(s) must
support every main point.
31. ______ refers to when words, phrases, or sentences parallel each other or balance
with one another, often mirroring each other the pattern used.
32. ______ work as bridges from idea to idea.
33. The internal preview precedes the information you are discussing and the internal
______ follows it.
34. A(n) ______ outline is an outline with brief notes that remind you of the key parts of
your speech and references to the support you will use to develop each point.
35. Your extemporaneous outline is also called your ______.
True/False
36. You shouldn’t create your outline until after you have gathered your research and
constructed your main points.
37. If your listeners do not retain your main points, there is little purpose in them
listening to the speech.
38. There is a clear order your main points need to follow.
39. Your subpoints will be indicated with capital letters A, B, C, and so on in your
outline.
40. Chronological transitions help the listener understand the time relationship between
the first main point and the one that follows
41. Causal transitions help show the cause-and-effect relationships between the ideas.
42. You should use your extemporaneous outline the first time you practice your
speech.
43. A practice speech is necessary; it acts as an oral rough draft of your presentation.
Essay
44. How is an outline similar to a roadmap?
Ans: Areas to discuss: An outline tells you (and others) where your speech is “headed.”
45. Why is an outline important in helping you decide what information to include?
46. Why you should begin the organizational process by arranging your materials into
clusters of main and subordinate ideas?
Ans: Areas to discuss: Subordinate ideas are the foundation on which larger ideas are
47. Why do effective outlines label all parts?
Ans: Areas to discuss: By labeling all parts of your outline you can help ensure that your
48. How should you format your extemporaneous outline or speakers notes?