Chapter 6: Nonverbal Messages
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Complementary nonverbal communication __________.
a) can stand on its own
b) repeats the verbal message nonverbally
c) adds nuances of meaning not communicated in the verbal message
d) substitutes for a verbal message
2. During class, when you lean forward and raise your hand to ask a question, you are
using nonverbal messages to __________.
a) contradict
b) repeat
c) control
d) substitute
3. Holding hands and kissing your partner on the lips to communicate the nature of your
relationship is referred to as __________.
a) tie signs
b) love connection indicators
c) emoticons
d) haptics
4. Body gestures that directly translate into words or phrases are __________.
a) illustrators
b) emblems
c) adaptors
d) affect displays
5. Nonverbal messages that convey emotional meanings are __________.
a) emblems
b) regulators
c) adaptors
d) affect displays
6. Behaviors that monitor, maintain, or control the speaking of another person are
__________.
a) adaptors
b) illustrators
c) regulators
d) emblems
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7. According to the facial feedback hypothesis, __________.
a) facial movements indicate eight emotions
b) we cover up sadness so as not to depress others
c) facial expression directly translates words or phrases
d) facial expression influences the level of physiological arousal
8. Facial management techniques __________.
a) influence physiological arousal
b) provide signals that you are ready to speak
c) form and define relationships
d) help you display emotions in socially acceptable ways
9. Japanese people are likely to judge a neutral facial expression as __________ than a
smiling expression.
a) more intelligent
b) less attractive
c) more sociable
d) less intelligent
10. During a class session, your instructor describes the upcoming test and you roll your
eyes. The eye rolling is considered to be __________.
a) a tie signal
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b) a temporal message
c) a normal eye message
d) aggressive behavior
11. Looking away while someone nearby is having an argument is an example of
__________.
a) visual dominance behavior
b) nonverbal rules
c) compensating for distance
d) civil inattention as part of eye avoidance
12. Personal distance ranges from __________.
a) 12 to 25 feet
b) 18 inches to 4 feet
c) contact to 18 inches
d) 4 to 12 feet
13. Proxemics is the study of __________ communication.
a) spatial
b) body
c) touch
d) time
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14. Secondary territories are __________.
a) open to everyone
b) your exclusive preserve
c) areas with which you are associated
d) a residence other than your primary home
15. At the supermarket checkout line, you place a bar between your groceries and the
groceries of a person behind you, which is an example of __________.
a) boundary markers
b) central markers
c) land markers
d) earmarkers
a chair is an example of __________.
a) central markers
b) home field advantage
c) earmarkers
d) territorial encroachment
17. Which of the following items is an example of cultural display?
a) picture of your family pet
b) political buttons
c) wedding cake
d) diagram of your family tree
18. Which of the following is a suggestion for drawing conclusions about a person based
on his or her nonverbal messages?
a) Draw immediate conclusions about nonverbal behaviors.
b) Understand that messages come through only one channel of communication.
c) Accept that your first judgment is most likely correct.
d) Interpret your judgments and conclusions against a cultural context.
19. Another name for touch communication is __________ communication.
a) tactile
b) perceptible
c) physical
d) feel
20. Haptics is the study of __________ communication.
a) eye
b) body
c) facial
d) touch
21. The earliest and most primitive sense we use is __________.
a) smell
b) taste
c) hearing
d) touch
22. Scientific studies show that people who avoid touching __________.
a) also avoid eating
b) enjoy hugging
c) also avoid self-disclosure
d) prefer public speaking
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23. Paralanguage is the study of __________.
a) animals imitation of human speech
b) words used by other cultures
c) crying, whispering, yawning, and moaning
d) the vocal but nonverbal dimensions of speech
24. Paralanguage is __________.
a) verbal and nonverbal
b) verbal and vocal
c) vocal and nonverbal
d) communication about communication
25. Belching is an example of __________.
a) paralanguage
b) territoriality
c) central markers
d) haptics
26. Which sentence conveys the meaning that I think someone other than you stole the
money?
a) I did not SAY you stole the money.
b) I did not say YOU stole the money.
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c) I did not say you STOLE the money.
d) I did not say you stole the MONEY.
27. Aleasha speaks at a moderately fast rate. Her pace of speaking suggests that she
would be successful in which of the following professions?
a) nursing
b) sales
c) welding
d) transportation and logistics
28. Which of the following statements is true of silence?
a) It functions differently from other forms of nonverbal communication.
b) It communicates neutrality and non-commitment.
c) It can be a weapon to hurt others.
d) It is golden and desirable in arguments.
29. In the study of time, the social clock __________.
a) determines whether in your culture you are comfortable scheduling more than one
thing at the same time
b) determines when it is the right time within a culture to accomplish various transitional
events, such as marrying
c) encourages you to have particular reverence for the past
d) determines how many minutes it is socially acceptable to be late for an event
True/False Questions
30. A controlling message is one that gives instructions and rules.
31. The greater your ability to encode and decode nonverbal signals, the higher your
popularity is likely to be.
32. Affect displays monitor the speaking of another person.
33. The facial feedback hypothesis holds that your facial expressions influence
physiological arousal.
34. In our culture, the average length of a mutual gaze is 5.1 seconds.
35. In U.S. culture, there are rather strict rules for the appropriate length of eye contact.
36. Social distance is from 12 to 25 feet.
37. Initials on a shirt or attaché case are examples of earmarkers.
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38. According to business experts, when you begin your job hunt, you should hide body
piercings and tattoos.
39. Olfactory communication is very important in many situations and is now a big
business.
40. Listeners can judge emotional states of speakers just from their vocal expression.
41. Present-oriented people tend to have greater incomes than future-oriented people.
Fill-in-the-Blank Questions
42. __________ displays are movements of the face and body that convey emotional
meaning.
43. Learning to hide certain emotions and to emphasize others are examples of facial
__________ techniques.
44. According to the facial feedback hypothesis, your facial expression influences your
level of __________.
45. Turning your eyes away to respect privacy is called __________.
46. The four distances that define relationships are: __________, __________,
__________, and __________.
47. Messages conveyed through objects or arrangements made by human hands are
__________ messages.
48. Members of __________ cultures maintain longer and more focused eye contact.
49. The study of __________ communication focuses on the use of time how you
manage it, react to it, and communicate messages through it.
50. The time orientation you develop depends to a great extent on your __________
class.
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Essay Questions
51. Name six ways in which nonverbal messages are used to interact with verbal
messages.
52. Discuss three of the seven impression management strategies available to you. In the
description, include an example of when you used the strategy, what nonverbal message
you sent, and how you sent it.
53. Name the four spatial distances used to communicate and give an example of each.
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54. Discuss and describe how smell communication is important in many situations and
becomes a big issue.
55. Discuss and give examples of the cultural influence on the use of time.
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