Brandon, Michelle and Gustav want to convince their city council to vote against a
new zoning proposal. If they use disruption to force the council to vote their way, this
would be an unethical form of communication.
Answer:
Indoctrination is a form of downward communication that is always manipulative.
Answer:
It is not necessary to use supporting material when you are presenting complicated
information.
Answer:
Listeners sometimes assume that people who speak with an accent different than their
own are less intelligent than people who speak without a noticeable accent.
Answer:
People who do the same job independently cannot benefit from sharing ideas in a
group meeting.
Answer:
If you are planning a video interview, arrange an alternate way to contact the other
party.
Answer:
When you first enter an established group, it is a good idea to watch the way group
members interact and to ask knowledgeable members about appropriate ways of
behaving.
Answer:
To prevent groupthink, influential leaders should state their opinions at the beginning
of the group’s discussion.
Answer:
Business leaders from Japan, Europe, and the U.S. have developed a code of ethics that
includes many principles of ethical communication.
Answer:
Questioning usually isn’t a good technique for helping a speaker who comes to you
with a problem, since questions tend to increase confusion.
Answer:
The opening phase of an interview should explain what information is needed and how
it will be used.
Answer:
Most people don’t need formal training in listening because listening is a natural
ability.
Answer:
A listener can paraphrase the content, the intent, and/or the feelings of a speaker’s
message.
Answer:
Informal networks often provide more dependable information than formal (official)
networks provide.
Answer:
Nonverbal communication occurs in face-to-face situations, but does not apply to
written or electronic communication.
Answer:
Talking about non-work-related issues during working hours is considered to be a
communication trait of unpleasant co-workers.
Answer:
Scandinavian countries approach organizations from a social orientation, which means
they focus on team cooperation, good working conditions, and maintaining a friendly
atmosphere.
Answer:
Offering a genuine apology for something you’ve done wrong may decrease your
chances of being sued.
Answer:
After you decide on your thesis, your next step should be to brainstorm and research
ideas about your thesis.
Answer:
Strategic communication is almost always unethical.
Answer:
The Leader Member Exchange (LMX) theory teaches that the quality of
leader-member relationships is set during the first week of acquaintance, and that once
expectations are formed, they cannot be changed.
Answer:
Avoid addressing a listener by name during a presentation.
Answer:
Informal networks can be useful for expediting the movement of messages through an
organization.
Answer:
If you will be speaking to more than 50 people, flip charts are a useful method for
encouraging audience involvement.
Answer:
Any technical report should be free from jargon.
Answer:
Consultant Andrea Sutcliffe states that public speaking is a more important skill for
getting ahead in your career than listening is.
Answer:
Different cultures place different value on consensus as a decision-making method.
Answer:
Pictograms work best for a lay audience, not a professional audience.
Answer:
Never use ambiguous language to deliver a difficult message because people want to
hear bad news in a straightforward manner.
Answer:
A manuscript style of delivery is often boring, even if it is delivered flawlessly.
Answer:
After you paraphrase a speaker’s meaning, you should invite the speaker to verify that
you’ve interpreted their meaning.
Answer:
In your introduction, you should clearly state the key central idea of your speech in one
short sentence. This sentence is called your ______________________.
A. specific goal
B. general goal
C. descriptive sentence
D. thesis statement
Answer:
Which is the recommended approach for concluding a meeting?
A. Use a buzzer to indicate that the meeting has ended.
B. Hand out an agenda for the next meeting.
C. Acknowledge your accomplishments as the group’s leader.
D. Point out that the meeting is close to completion, summarize the group’s
accomplishments, outline future actions, and thank members for having attended.
Answer:
An effective set of minutes should have all the following characteristics EXCEPT
A. be written concisely
B. show a detailed account of each speaker’s opinions
C. present a record of specific action items
D. include enough information that someone who was not at the meeting can learn what
was discussed and what decisions were made
Answer:
Which of the following is NOT a strategy to use in a training session?
A. Cover only necessary information.
B. Start with the least important detail and then work up to the most important details.
C. Emphasize the organization of your material.
D. Link the topic to the audience.
Answer:
Drawbacks of inefficient meetings include all of the following EXCEPT
A. inefficiency contributes to an atmosphere of cynicism.
B. ineffective meetings reduce an organization’s productivity.
C. unproductive meetings in U.S. businesses waste as much as $37 billion annually.
D. meetings give ambitious workers a much-needed break from their individual tasks.
Answer:
Which is the best advice for seeking a raise?
A. Describe how much effort you put into your job.
B. Clarify ways in which you have directly contributed to your company’s profits.
C. Remind your boss of how long you have worked for the company without a raise.
D. Deliver your request in an emotional way.
Answer:
Before you prepare your speech outline, you should write a ___________ that
describes the reaction you are seeking from your audience.
A. general purpose
B. specific goal
C. thesis statement
D. preview
Answer:
The functions of transitions include all of the following EXCEPT
A. promoting a clear presentation of ideas.
B. emphasizing important points.
C. helping listeners anticipate the next point.
D. providing evidence to support a key point.
Answer:
Shane knew that he was not supposed to ask interviewees whether they had children.
However, he found that if he asked them what they spent most of their time on outside
of work, it became obvious from their answers whether they had children. What type of
question is Shane using in this example?
A. illegal
B. secondary
C. hypothetical
D. indirect
Answer:
A specialized technical form of vocabulary that allows professionals to communicate
about issues important to their field is referred to as
A. ambiguous language.
B. jargon.
C. high-level language.
D. equivocal terms.
Answer:
If you were giving a presentation and your primary goal was to expand your audience’s
existing knowledge on a topic, which of the following types of general purposes would
you be using?
A. to inform
B. to persuade
C. to manipulate
D. to entertain
Answer:
A statement such as “I don’t care what you think is going to work best, we are either
going to go with my proposal or forget about the whole thing” is an example of which
of the following approaches to conflict?
A. avoiding
B. accommodating
C. compromising
D. competing
Answer:
Mindless listening
A. should be avoided at all costs.
B. is a useful strategy when we need to tune out distractions that are not worthy of
careful attention.
C. involves attending carefully to the message.
D. takes up so much of our energy that we can’t focus on those messages that are most
important to hear.
Answer:
Fatima asks “What time will the meeting start?” Fatima’s words are an example of a
A. channel.
B. decoding.
C. message.
D. context.
Answer:
Adam was explaining security procedures to new interns at his firm. It was difficult for
the interns to understand what Adam was talking about because he used technical
language they weren’t familiar with. Which strategy for presenting an effective training
is Adam failing to use in the above situation?
A. Incorporate activities that directly involve the audience.
B. Explain how the information will help the audience.
C. Avoid jargon.
D. Compare unfamiliar concepts to familiar concepts.
Answer:
All of the following are typical types of workplace interviews EXCEPT
A. diagnostic interviews
B. investigative interviews
C. exit interviews
D. portfolio interviews
Answer:
You can increase your chances of seeming open and confident if you
A. hold your hands behind your back.
B. use expansive gestures.
C. point your index finger at the audience.
D. grip the lectern.
Answer:
All of the following are characteristics of a briefing except:
A. about 2 or 3 minutes in length.
B. typically lack an attention-getter.
C. may include simple visual aids.
D. present complex arguments in favor of a proposal.
Answer:
In most interviews (unlike typical conversations), the ratio of speaking turns is uneven.
During a typical interview, the interviewee will do about ______ percent of the talking.
A. 40
B. 50
C. 70
D. 80
Answer:
Which of the following is NOT a useful suggestion for keeping discussions on track?
A. Remind the group about time pressures.
B. If a remark is irrelevant, discuss its pros and cons, and then return to the task at hand.
C. If a remark seems irrelevant, challenge it.
D. Summarize the discussion and then suggest moving on to the next task.
Answer:
Sheila was interviewing for her first job as a kindergarten teacher. Her interviewer took
her into a kindergarten class and asked her to take over as the teacher for 20 minutes.
Sheila was experiencing a(n) _________ interview.
A. panel
B. audition
C. behavioral
D. stress
Answer:
Cultural expectations are often ________________ to the people who live and
communicate within that culture.
A. useless
B. invisible
C. overwhelming
D. disgusting
Answer:
Ideally, groups should create constructive norms
A. early in the group’s existence.
B. after the first conflict arises.
C. after members have become very well acquainted.
D. in a meeting convened solely for the purpose of establishing norms.
Answer:
In Mexico, (a culture with high-power distance), a person who frequently questions the
feasibility of a manager’s proposals would probably
A. be thought of as a troublemaker.
B. be encouraged to ask more questions.
C. be promoted quickly.
D. be rewarded for his or her creativity.
Answer:
If I asked someone “Which do you prefer, working alone or working with others?”
during an interview, which type of question would I be using?
A. factual
B. opinion
C. hypothetical
D. indirect
Answer:
Sarah has been asked to take a couple of minutes to summarize for her subordinates the
new safety policies adopted by the board of directors. Sarah’s presentation is called a
A. proposal.
B. explanation.
C. training.
D. briefing.
Answer:
Which of the following does NOT describe the “majority vote” method of
decision-making?
A. A substantial minority may feel resentful after the decision is made.
B. The group can be railroaded into accepting a plan.
C. Majority vote is the best method for deciding important issues in small groups.
D. Decisions can be made quickly.
Answer:
All of the following are closed questions EXCEPT
A. “What is your GPA?”
B. “What are your career plans?”
C. “When do you expect to graduate?”
D. “Would you prefer to use a highly structured, moderately structured, or
nonstructured interview format?”
Answer:
All of the following are elements of a status report except:
A. identify barriers to completing the task.
B. explain how you are dealing with obstacles.
C. state the current status of your project.
D. compare the advantages of your product versus other products.
Answer:
Rob has been asked to provide a presentation to a group of investors. Rob wants to
send a significant amount of statistical information home with the investors so they can
refer back to it later. Which of the following visuals would best help Rob achieve this
purpose?
A. flip charts/poster board
B. videotapes
C. slides
D. handouts
Answer:
An example of a “more powerful” speech form is
A. “This meeting is running late, isn’t it?”
B. “That was truly quite marvelous!”
C. “We will submit our final report by 3 P.M. this afternoon.”
D. “What do you think should be considered next?”
Answer: