Handling the question-and-answer session well can enhance a speaker’s credibility and
strengthen the impact of his or her speech.
Answer:
If you use a tape recorder or a digital recorder in a research interview, you should keep
it secret from the person being interviewed.
Answer:
“Family is a well of compassion we return to for comfort in times of need” is an
example of metaphor.
Answer:
A speech praising the bravery of the firefighters killed in New York on September 11,
2001, is an example of a commemorative speech.
Answer:
A symposium is essentially a conversation in front of an audience.
Answer:
An impromptu speech is delivered with little or no immediate preparation.
Answer:
Visual aids usually should be used only in informative speeches.
Answer:
Speaking from a manuscript requires very little skill.
Answer:
A single practice session of two or three hours is usually the best way to rehearse your
speech.
Answer:
Regional or ethnic dialects are fine in speeches as long as listeners find them
acceptable.
Answer:
To function effectively, a small group needs a specific leader.
Answer:
Establishing goodwill is more likely to be necessary in the introduction of a persuasive
speech than in the introduction of an informative speech.
Answer:
The median is determined by summing all the items in a group and dividing by the
number of items.
Answer:
It is seldom a good idea to discuss the importance of your topic in the introduction of a
speech.
Answer:
“Silence settled over the audience like a block of granite” is an example of simile.
Answer:
When trying to persuade listeners that are skeptical about your position, you need to
deal directly with the reasons for their skepticism.
Answer:
The fundamental purpose of a commemorative speech is to convey information about
the subject being commemorated.
Answer:
As your textbook makes clear, personal conflicts are essential if a small group is to
function successfully.
Answer:
The procedural needs of a small group revolve around interpersonal relations among the
group’s members.
Answer:
According to your textbook, a general rule when using PowerPoint is to include no
more than a half-dozen lines of type on a single slide.
Answer:
It is seldom necessary to name the people you quote or paraphrase in a speech.
Answer:
When trying to persuade listeners to take action, you should usually be specific about
the action you want them to take.
Answer:
Ethnocentrism is unique to western cultures such as those in the United States and
Europe.
Answer:
The primary purpose of a special occasion speech is to convey information to an
audience
Answer:
Communication skills, including public speaking, are often ranked first among the
qualities employers seek in college graduates.
Answer:
When faced with an inquiry you can’t answer during a question-and-answer session,
you should usually try to bluff your way through the answer so as to preserve your
credibility on the topic.
Answer:
A startling introduction is effective only if it is firmly related to the speech topic.
Answer:
The mode is the number that occurs most frequently in a group of numbers.
Answer:
The primary purpose of speechmaking is to demonstrate your command of the topic.
Answer:
As your textbook explains, disagreements among members of a small group should be
kept on a personal level so they won’t interfere with the group’s ability to complete its
task.
Answer:
An important feature of a small group is that all participants potentially function as
speakers and listeners.
Answer:
Which of the following is discussed in your textbook as a guideline for effective
informative speaking?
a. Relate the subject directly to the audience.
b. Use at least one visual aid with each main point.
c. Don’t overestimate what the audience knows.
d. all of the above
e. a and c only
Answer:
Public speakers who seek to communicate with listeners from cultures other than their
own need to take special care to avoid __________ in their speeches.
a. ethnocentrism
b. vocalized pauses
c. personal statements
d. visual aids
e. gestures
Answer:
Which of the following specific purpose statements is from a persuasive speech seeking
immediate action?
a. To persuade my audience that the state legislature should stiffen driver’s license
requirements for people over the age of 75.
b. To persuade my audience to write their legislators in support of stiffening driver’s
license requirements for people over the age of 75.
c. To persuade my audience that the proposed bill to stiffen driver’s license
requirements for people over the age of 75 is just and reasonable.
d. To persuade my audience that the state legislature has no business stiffening driver’s
license requirements for people over the age of 75.
e. To persuade my audience that acting now to stiffen driver’s license requirements for
people over the age of 75 will save lives.
Answer:
According to your textbook, which of the following is a demographic characteristic of a
speech audience?
a. their size
b. their sexual orientation
c. their attitude toward the speaker
d. their knowledge about the subject
e. their attitude toward the occasion
Answer:
“The three kinds of bait used to attract fish are live bait, prepared bait, and artificial
bait” is an example of a
a. transition.
b. central idea.
c. specific purpose.
d. topic statement.
e. general thesis.
Answer:
Once a problem-solving small group has defined the problem and analyzed the
problem, what is the next step they should follow in the reflective-thinking method for
small-group discussion?
a. generate potential solutions
b. assign members to research the problem
c. consider the practicality of various solutions
d. establish criteria for solving the problem
e. retrace the decision-making process
Answer:
For his first speech, Peter is organizing his ideas around three holiday customs that
were passed down by his Polish grandparents. According to your textbook, Peter’s
speech will most likely be organized in __________ order.
a. familial
b. topical
c. chronological
d. geographical
e. personal
Answer:
Which of the following is discussed in your textbook as a guideline for effective
informative speaking?
a. Use technical language to enhance your credibility.
b. Avoid personal words such as “I,” “we,” “you,” and “our.”
c. Relate the topic directly to the audience.
d. all of the above
e. a and c only
Answer:
Dealing with such matters as the logical relationships among ideas, the soundness of
evidence, and the differences between fact and opinion are all part of what your
textbook calls
a. deduction.
b. critical thinking.
c. rational communication.
d. oral deliberation.
e. induction.
Answer:
According to your textbook, “uh,” “er,” “um,” and similar expressions in a public
speech are referred to as
a. vocal fillers.
b. signposts.
c. intonations.
d. vocalized pauses.
e. inflections.
Answer:
Which of the following is one of the four major causes of poor listening discussed in
your textbook?
a. focusing on a speaker’s appearance or delivery
b. taking key-word notes during a speech
c. suspending judgment about a speaker’s ideas
d. concentrating on a speaker’s evidence and reasoning
e. listening empathically rather than critically
Answer:
“To inform my audience about the major principles of Keynesian economic theory” is a
specific purpose statement for a speech about a(n)
a. object.
b. policy.
c. technique.
d. concept.
e. process.
Answer:
Which organizational pattern would probably be most effective for arranging the main
points of a speech with the specific purpose “To inform my audience about the major
geographical regions of Mexico?”
a. causal
b. chronological
c. topical
d. problem-solution
e. spatial
Answer:
According to your textbook, when you listen to evaluate a speaker’s message for
purposes of accepting it or rejecting it, what kind of listening is involved?
a. critical
b. reflective
c. evaluative
d. empathic
e. comprehensive
Answer:
What is the median in the following set of numbers: 200, 300, 500, 600, 600?
a. 200
b. 350
c. 440
d. 500
e. 600
Answer:
“Police officers need extra life insurance to protect their wives and children,” said city
council member Heather Carpenter. Carpenter’s language violated which of the
guidelines for inclusive language discussed in your textbook?
a. Avoid the generic “he.”
b. Avoid excluding listeners because of their age.
c. Avoid identifying personal traits that are unrelated to the topic.
d. Avoid stereotyping jobs and social roles by gender.
e. Use names that groups use to identify themselves.
Answer:
What does your textbook say about speech dialects?
a. Most languages have dialects.
b. Dialects are usually based on regional or ethnic speech patterns.
c. No dialect is inherently better or worse than another dialect.
d. all of the above
e. a and b only
Answer:
The textbook gives four guidelines for a speaking outline. They are:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Answer:
Which organizational pattern would probably be most effective for arranging the main
points of a speech with the specific purpose “To inform my audience about the three
major kinds of drone aircraft used by the U.S. military”?
a. analytical
b. topical
c. causal
d. spatial
e. chronological
Answer:
How do the following main points for a speech about the major steps involved in a
successful job interview violate the guidelines for main points presented in your
textbook?
I. The first step is preparing for the interview before it takes place.
II. Presenting yourself well during the interview is also important.
III. After the interview, you need to follow up.
a. The main points don’t follow any method of organization.
b. The main points don’t use a similar pattern of wording.
c. The main points aren’t clearly separate from one another.
d. all of the above
e. b and c only
Answer:
Serena is creating visual aids on her computer. According to your textbook, when she
selects fonts, she should plan to use
a. decorative fonts to keep the audience interested.
b. all capital letters so the words will be easy to read.
c. no more than two fonts on each slide.
d. all of the above.
e. none of the above.
Answer:
As part of the research for his informative speech, Malik needs brief life and career
facts about United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. The best kind of library
reference source for him to consult would be a(n)
a. periodical index.
b. special dictionary.
c. encyclopedia.
d. biographical aid.
e. yearbook.
Answer:
If your specific purpose statement were “To inform my audience about the major
archaeological sites in Central America,” you would probably organize your speech in
__________ order.
a. topical or causal
b. spatial or comparative
c. comparative or chronological
d. chronological or causal
e. spatial or topical
Answer:
As explained in your textbook, which of the following is a responsibility of every
member in a small group?
a. fulfill individual assignments
b. keep the discussion on track
c. encourage full participation by group members.
d. all of the above
e. a and b only
Answer:
According to your textbook, “Getting an internship is a challenging experience with
great rewards” is an example of a(n)
a. speech proposal.
b. specific purpose.
c. informative thesis.
d. topic statement.
e. central idea.
Answer:
Which of the following is presented in your textbook as a guideline for ethical
speechmaking?
a. Put ethical principles into practice.
b. Adapt to the audience’s frame of reference.
c. Make sure your goals are ethically sound.
d. all of the above
e. a and c only
Answer:
The purpose of a commemorative speech is to pay tribute to a person, a group of
people, an institution, or an idea.
Answer:
Creating an oversimplified image of a particular group of people or assuming that all
members of the group are alike is called
a. egocentrism.
b. genotyping.
c. sensationalism.
d. stereotyping.
e. ethnocentrism.
Answer:
Which of the following would probably be the best visual aid to demonstrate the
distribution of grades for a class?
a. a pie graph
b. a quota graph
c. a longitudinal graph
d. a partition graph
e. a line graph
Answer:
According to your textbook, what are the three kinds of leadership needs faced by all
problem-solving small groups?
a. agenda needs, task needs, and consensus needs
b. decision needs, maintenance needs, and personal needs
c. procedural needs, agenda needs, and participation needs
d. research needs, schedule needs, and judgment needs
e. task needs, procedural needs, and maintenance needs
Answer:
According to your textbook, which of the following statements about speech
conclusions is true?
a. The conclusion should take up about 25 percent of a speech.
b. Ending a speech abruptly is an excellent way to reinforce the speaker’s central idea.
c. The last sentence of a speech should usually offer to answer questions from the
audience.
d. All four methods of reinforcing the central idea can be combined in a single
conclusion.
e. It is usually best to let a conclusion grow out of the inspiration of the moment.
Answer:
According to your textbook, the ethical obligations of listeners in a public speaking
situation include
a. maintaining the free and open expression of ideas.
b. judging the speaker on the basis of her or his prestige.
c. being courteous and attentive during the speech.
d. all of the above.
e. a and c only.
Answer:
Jovita is part of a problem-solving group in her speech class. By the third meeting of
the group, Jovita noticed that Dylan seemed unhappy with his role in the group. At the
next meeting Jovita made sure to respond thoughtfully to each of Dylan’s contributions.
By the end of the meeting, it was clear that Dylan felt better about the way the group
was working. According to your textbook, what kind of leadership need did Jovita’s
action fulfill?
a. a task need
b. an interpersonal need
c. a maintenance need
d. an engagement need
e. a procedural need
Answer:
When you give a speech, you should try to have the same expressiveness in your voice
as you have in ordinary conversation.
Answer:
In a speech outline, main points are identified by _______________ , while subpoints
are identified by _______________ .
Answer:
If you quoted Nobel Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison on recent developments in
popular literature, you would be using _______________ testimony.
Answer:
Jumping to conclusions can be a barrier to effective listening even when a speaker and a
listener know each other very well.
Answer:
A speech whose specific purpose is to show a cause-effect relationship is usually
organized in _______________ order.
Answer:
The following main points are arranged in _______________ order.
I. The raised right arm and torch of the Statue of Liberty symbolize America’s role as a
beacon light of liberty to people the world over.
II. The body of the Statue of Liberty is lined with staircases, which give a good view of
the inside contours.
III. The base of the Statue of Liberty contains a plaque with the poignant lines
beginning “Give me your tired, your poor . . . .”
Answer:
Listening is a passive process, while critical thinking is an active process.
Answer:
“To persuade my audience that our school should provide more on-campus parking for
students” is an example of a well-worded specific purpose statement for a persuasive
speech.
Answer:
Avoiding sexist, racist, and other kinds of abusive language is important primarily as a
matter of political correctness.
Answer:
One of the major demographic traits of audiences is interest in the speaker’s topic.
Answer:
A(n) _______________ leader of a small group is appointed or elected when the group
is formed.
Answer:
Audience size, the physical setting for the speech, and the audience’s disposition toward
the topic are all elements of demographic audience analysis.
Answer:
Communication scholars use the term “identification” to refer to the way speakers use
stereotypes to analyze the demographic traits of their audience.
Answer:
When you listen to the campaign speech of a political candidate for the purpose of
accepting or rejecting the speaker’s message, you are engaged in empathic listening.
Answer:
A speech narrating a series of historical events will usually be arranged in
_______________ order.
Answer:
“To inform my audience about the different sections of a medieval cathedral” is a
specific purpose statement for an informative speech about a(n) _____________ , while
“To inform my audience about the beliefs of major Christian sects during the middle
ages” is a specific purpose statement for an informative speech about a(n)
______________ .
Answer: