Business and Professional Communication 2e
Quintanilla and Wahl
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Chapter 6: Interpersonal Communication at Work
Test Bank
1. Which is the best definition of interpersonal communication?
2. Bruce and Carol are discussing an upcoming business trip after Carol returned from a mandatory leave
of absence. Carol laughs and makes eye contact with Bruce, joking about the length of the trip. The
laughter and joking is the ______ layer of their interaction.
3. Adding a relational layer to a message can be done with
4. Which of the following is an active listening strategy?
5. Semantic information distance is a term that describes
Business and Professional Communication 2e
Quintanilla and Wahl
Instructor Resource
6.. Karin does not want her supervisor to know that the employees she is in charge of are not fulfilling
7. When Karin’s supervisor asks about her work load she says it is fine. In actuality, she spends much of
her time on personal calls and recently had to ask her coworkers to do some of her part of the project in
order to meet the deadline. This type of deception is known as
8. To limit message distortion, supervisors can
9. Which is the best technique for communicating with a supervisor?
Business and Professional Communication 2e
Quintanilla and Wahl
Instructor Resource
10. Information from formal networks is __________ than information from informal networks.
11. Approximately how many women in workplace romances reported motives relating to the job?
12. According to ________________ theory, the information we choose to disclose is managed by our
own self-set rules.
13. Interpersonal communication is ________, meaning it occurs between two people.
14. Bryan is the vice president of the human resources division for his company and John is one of his
employees. Therefore, Bryan is the _________ and John is the _________.
15. Which of the following is NOT a reason interpersonal communication is important?
16. Daniel has an excellent idea to increase productivity on his assembly line. However, the original idea
he sent to his superiors was altered along the way and became ineffectual. This occurrence is known as
17. Susan acts warm and friendly to her supervisor when discussing possible promotions, leading some
of her coworkers to call her a “teacher’s pet” or “brown-noser.” Susan is using a(n) ________ strategy.
18. Ivana typically interacts with two of her coworkers on the same project, their information
technology representative, and her immediate superior. This is known as Ivana’s
19. The _________, also known as the “grapevine,” allows employees to speak directly and not chance
the message being altered as it moves though the formal communication network.
20. Rudy routinely needs to order parts from another part of his company to create a finished product.
Rudy is an example of a(n)
21. Janet works for a major phone company where she routinely takes calls from clients and answers
questions about the company’s products and services. Janet’s job involves the field of
22. At meetings, Bill often interrupts his coworkers when they are talking and allows his cell phone to
ring during others’ presentations. Bill is violating
23. Interpersonal communication occurs in dyads.
24. Interpersonal communication can occur between a supervisor and a subordinate.
25. The KEYS to professional excellence in interpersonal communication include all of the following
EXCEPT
26. Your coworkers are potentially your internal customers.
27. External customers are clients that are external to the company.
28. Active listening strategies should be a part of your communication interaction in order to achieve
professional excellence in interpersonal communication.
29. Professional etiquette is practicing good manners in a professional setting.
30. If ingratiation is insincere, not your style, or if your boss doesn’t like the attention, your resulting
communication will come across as less than professional.
31. Communication that occurs within the white space is known as informal communication.
32. Sexual harassment can include unwelcomed sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other
verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature and is a result of communicative behaviors and sense
making.
33. Explain communication privacy management (CPM) theory, including issues that are managed using
this theory.
34. How do messages get altered as they move from subordinates to superiors?
35. Explain the relational layer of messages. How might this affect communication excellence?
36. The interpersonal communication between supervisors and subordinates is limited to the relational
layer.
37. ___________is when the messages that move from subordinate to superior are altered.
38. _____________occurs when some, but not all, of the information is passed on to the supervisor.
39_____________ occurs when the employee summarizes the messages in such a way that emphasis is
placed on certain aspects of the message.
40. ______________occurs when information is not passed on to the supervisor.
Business and Professional Communication 2e
Quintanilla and Wahl
Instructor Resource
41_______________ occurs when the message is changed to serve the subordinate’s purposes.
42. All of the following are steps you can take to limit message alteration EXCEPT
43. ___________________ involves evaluating another’s needs and preferences and then developing
messages, arguments, and proposals that line up with those needs and preferences.
44. ________________ is when an employee acts warm and friendly toward the supervisor.
45.____________________ are formally prescribed by the organization.
46. _________ is characterized by feelings of closeness and trust that you share with other people.
47. Intimacy is just about romance and sexuality.
48. Creating a hostile work environment is a form of sexual harassment.
49. Getting to know yourself better involves adjusting your communication style in professional settings.
50. When you evaluate your professional context, you are becoming
