Instructor Resource
Dainton, Applying Communication Theory for Professional Life 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
Chapter 5: Interpersonal Communication
Test Bank
Multiple Choice
1. Professor Ramirez was grading Lucy’s paper, which clearly did not represent her best
work. Professor Ramirez wrote on the paper, “Lucy, you’re a good writer; unfortunately
this paper does not reflect this talent.” What face work strategy was Professor Ramirez
using?
A. bald on record
B. off-record
C. positive politeness
D. pseudo politeness
2. Tony needs a big favor and is thinking of asking Bernice to help him. Tony must
decide how to approach the situation and how polite he should be when making his
request. According to Politeness Theory, which of the following would be the least
effective strategy for Tony to consider when deciding how polite he should be?
A. whether or not Bernice has more status than Tony
B. whether or not Bernice has strong negative face needs
C. whether or not Bernice penalizes Tony because of her authority
D. whether or not the request will hurt Bernice’s feelings
3. Jim and Pam have been dating for a few months. However, Jim is thinking about
breaking up with Pam because he thinks that his relationship with Pam is not as good
as the relationship he could have with Sandy. Which concept associated with Social
Exchange Theory best explains this situation?
A. comparison level
B. comparison level of alternatives
C. costs
D. rewards
Instructor Resource
Dainton, Applying Communication Theory for Professional Life 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
4. The assumption made by social exchange theory that people want to make the most
benefits while minimizing costs is known as the ______.
A. minimax principle
B. dispositional factor
C. covariation model
D. comparison level
6. Rachel used to think that Rick’s quirkiness and off-beat sense of humor was unique
and enjoyable. A year later, however, Rachel finds Rick’s quirkiness and off-beat sense
of humor to be annoying and arrogant. Applying Thibaut and Kelley’s theory, which
statement is most correct?
A. Rachel has a greater comparison level of alternatives.
B. Rachel and Rick have different novelty v. predictability needs.
C. Rachel and Rick are using spiraling alteration between opposing tensions.
D. What was once a reward, Rachel now views as a cost.
6. When confronted with a dialectical tension, Lawrence mentally reframes the tension
he is experiencing with Tallulah, imagining that the unpredictability of their relationship
will go away once Tallulah finds a full time job, which is a goal she has set for herself.
According to your Dainton and Zelley text, which strategy should the couple use to
manage the tension?
A. denial
B. reaffirmation
C. integration
D. segmentation
7. Fred and Wilma are having problems because Wilma’s mother wants to spend every
waking moment with the couple. Which external dialectical tension is this?
A. autonomy vs. connection
B. connectedness vs. separateness
C. conventionality vs. uniqueness
D. inclusion vs. seclusion
8. Maggie and Matt are having problems because Matt did not tell Maggie he had been
fired. When she found out, Maggie was angry because he hadn’t told her. Matt thought
it was none of her business. Which internal dialectical tension does this represent?
A. autonomy vs. connection
B. openness vs. closedness
C. predictability vs. novelty
D. revelation vs. concealment
9. Communication privacy management theory extends 25 years of research on the
process of ______.
A. nonverbal communication
B. politeness
C. self-disclosure
D. space violations
10. At Karl’s old job, everyone had a private office with a door that could be closed at
any time. As a result, people socialized very little. Now, Karl works for a company with
an open environment. There are no doors, no walls, and no partitions. It seems that co-
workers socialize and gossip quite a bit. According to CPM, the difference in how much
Karl should disclose can be determined by ______.
A. contextual criteria
B. cultural criteria
C. motivational criteria
D. risk-benefit criteria
11. Typically, people begin with ______ face threatening acts and then move to ______
face threatening acts when the initial efforts are ineffective.
A. positive politeness; negative politeness
B. bald on record; off-record
C. off-record; bald on record
D. negative politeness; positive politeness
12. Mollie has gotten used to Reid buying her flowers, but one day Reid brings her a
plant instead. Mollie tries to look at this as a novelty even though he was still somewhat
predictable. Which method of managing dialectics is Mollie using?
A. selection
B. segmentation
C. cyclical alteration
D. integration
13. When delivering a face threatening act, one can choose to acknowledge that the
self-image of the other person may be harmed by the message. This strategy is called
______.
Instructor Resource
Dainton, Applying Communication Theory for Professional Life 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
A. off-record
B. positive politeness
C. negative politeness
D. bald on record
14. The premise of ______ is to explain and predict relationship maintenance.
A. dialectics theory
B. politeness theory
C. communication privacy management
D. social exchange theory
15. The premise of ______ explains how and why individuals try to promote, protect, or
“save face.”
A. dialectics theory
B. politeness theory
C. communication privacy management
D. social exchange theory
16. Anna and Zach like to tell their family and friends the story of how they met, but they
do not like to tell these same people about their arguments. This is an example of which
dialectic?
A. revelation-concealment
B. integration-separation
C. openness-closedness
D. inclusion-seclusion
17. When delivering a face threatening act, one can choose to disregard altogether the
harm the message may inflict on the other person. This strategy is called ______.
A. off-record
B. positive politeness
C. negative politeness
D. bald on record
18. Alice wants to be honest about disliking her roommate’s boyfriend, but she thinks it
will hurt their relationship if she tells her. Which dialectical tension is Alice dealing with?
A. revelation-concealment
B. integration-separation
C. openness-closedness
D. inclusion-seclusion
19. When delivering a face threatening act, one can choose to be ambiguous so that the
face of another isn’t harmed, but there is the potential that the message will be
misinterpreted. This strategy is called ______.
A. off-record
B. positive politeness
C. negative politeness
D. bald on record
20. The most sophisticated strategy to deal with dialectical tension is ______.
A. selection
Instructor Resource
Dainton, Applying Communication Theory for Professional Life 4e
SAGE Publishing, 2018
B. segmentation
C. cyclical alteration
D. integration
21. ______ or motion is an assumption of the dialectical approach that presumes the
only guarantee in a relationship is that it will ______.
A. Move; begin
B. Begin; move
C. Start; stop
D. Change; change
22. Lucy and Desi are experiencing dialectical tensions between themselves that do not
involve anyone in their extended family. Which kinds of tensions are Lucy and Desi
experiencing?
A. Internal
B. Autonomous
C. External
D. Disconnected
23. Dharma would like to throw a surprise party for Greg’s 25th birthday, but he has
always appreciated that she has taken him out to dinner at his favorite restaurant for his
birthday. This example illustrates which of the dialectical tensions?
A. openness-closedness
B. autonomy-connection
C. predictability-novelty
D. cause-effect
True/False
1. Negative politeness is the most direct and least polite FTA strategy.
2. The central feature of private information is possession.
3. Boundary linkages refer to turbulence.
4. The most sophisticated strategy for managing dialectical tensions is segmentation.
5. The desire to have both a traditional relationship and a unique relationship is known
as the predictability–novelty dialectic.
6. Inclusion-seclusion is an external dialectic.
7. An individual’s culture is likely to influence decisions about what should or should not
be revealed.
8. Taylor does not need to weigh the risk–benefit criteria when considering whether she
should disclose private information.
9. Totality emphasizes interdependence between relationship partners.
10. Boundary permeability refers to how much information is easily passed through that
boundary.
Essay
1. Define and explain boundary permeability.
2. Explain the difference between positive politeness and negative politeness. Give an
example for each strategy.
3. Explain the three core components of Social Exchange Theory. Describe how they
work together to predict satisfaction and stability.
4. Identify and explain the three internal dialectics. Give an example to illustrate both
sides of each pole.
5. Identify and explain the three factors that influence boundary coordination.