Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
CHAPTER 14: DEVELOPING AND MAINTAINING RELATIONSHIPS: FROM
FORMATION TO DISSOLUTION
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1) Which of the following stages is included in Knapp and Vangelisti’s stages of “coming apart?”
A) grave-dressing
B) initiating
C) differentiating
D) intensifying
E) experimenting
2) Caleb and Cassandra have dated for six months. During that time they have increasingly shared more
personal and private information about each other and their families. Which stage best characterizes their
relationship?
A) circumscribing
B) integrating
C) bonding
D) intensifying
E) experimenting
3) Becky and Chris have dated only three times. Their conversations focus mainly on similarities and interests
between them. Which stage best characterizes their relationship?
A) differentiating
B) intensifying
C) initiating
D) integrating
E) experimenting
4) The relationship stage in which individuals avoid discussing areas of differences is called
A) analysis.
B) avoiding.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
C) stagnating.
D) differentiating.
E) circumscribing.
5) Egan and Sara’s relationship has greatly deteriorated. When they were last together, they argued and Sara
told Egan, “I really don’t want to see you again!” Which stage best describes Egan and Sara’s relationship?
A) stagnating
B) avoiding
C) differentiating
D) intensifying
E) circumscribing
6) Conversations in the experimenting stage of “coming together” serve which of the following functions?
A) They uncover similarities and interests that may lead to deeper conversation.
B) They help us establish a contractual agreement for the relationship.
C) They help us assess differences between ourselves and our partners.
D) They help us determine whether or not we want to meet someone.
E) They help hide any “skeletons in the closet” we might have from our relational partners.
7) Which of the following guidelines does NOT reflect a suggestion for effective interpersonal interactions?
A) Look at the other person.
B) Encourage the other person to talk about himself or herself.
C) Use the other person’s name only the first time you talk with him or her.
D) Keep the conversation casual, light, and positive.
E) Keep abreast of current events.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
8) Which of the following skills does NOT lead to competence in interpersonal communication?
A) the ability to adapt and know how to communicate in specific situations
B) the ability to adapt and appropriately communicate in specific interactions
C) the ability to understand your and the other person’s values, beliefs, attitudes, or feelings
D) the ability to monitor others
E) the ability to be fair and ethical
9) Trishna approaches conflict by removing herself from the situation. In other words, Trishna illustrates what
conflict management style?
A) negotiation
B) accommodating
C) collaboration
D) forcing
E) withdrawing
10) Shelia and Bill have ended their two-year relationship. Each is now circulating his or her own version of the
events leading to their breakup, talking to friends and family about why their relationship dissolved.
According to Duck, Shelia and Bill are experiencing which of the following stages?
A) dyadic phase
B) grave dressing phase
C) circumscribing stage
D) social phase
E) intrapsychic phase
11) Lately, Sean and Melanie’s relational problems have been the subject of discussions among their family and
friends. Both Sean and Melanie have been considering the opinions and feelings that others have shared
about their relational difficulties. According to communication theorist Steve Duck, Sean and Melanie are in
the
A) intrapsychic phase.
B) differentiating stage.
C) dyadic phase.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
D) social phase.
E) grave dressing phase.
12) Which of the following is NOT one of Wilmot & Hocker’s elements of conflict?
A) scarce resources
B) interference from others in achieving goals
C) an expressed struggle
D) verbal aggressiveness
E) at least two interdependent parties
13) Which of the following statements about interpersonal communication competence is accurate?
A) Whether we get to know others has most to do with their specific characteristics or ours.
B) The likelihood that two people will become acquainted has to do with contact through physical
proximity.
C) The likelihood that two people will become acquainted has to do with a positive experience at the time
of the face-to-face or social media contact.
D) After you encounter a person several times and easily recognize him or her, you will likely become
comfortable interacting with the person or at least making casual conversation.
E) The relationship development and your reception often depend on how well you and the other person
interact.
14) Which of the following statements about conflict is accurate?
A) Conflict occurs when one individual perceives incompatible goals.
B) Most relationships have no conflict.
C) Type A individuals are less likely to be involved in conflict situations.
D) One significant cause of conflict is faulty perceptions.
E) With training, conflict can be eliminated from your relationships.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
15) According to McCroskey and McCain, the three types of interpersonal attraction are
A) situational attraction, social attraction, and personal attraction.
B) physical attraction, personal attraction, and contextual attraction.
C) social attraction, physical attraction, and task attraction.
D) task attraction, conflict attraction, and communication attraction.
E) psychological attraction, physical attraction, and task attraction.
16) Jeremy and Jody have been dating for a couple of years. They have been seen on campus wearing matching
sweatshirts. Jeremy and Jody also borrow personal items from one another, carry photographs of one another
in their wallets, and are planning to pool their money to purchase a computer they will share. They are most
likely at which stage of Knapp’s relationship stages?
A) circumscribing
B) initiating
C) intensifying
D) integrating
E) experimenting
17) Betsy and Shane have been together for several years. However, over the past few months they have not been
communicating with each other as often as before, and their interactions have taken on a superficial tone.
However, they try to keep up appearances when out with their friends. This couple is probably at which of
Knapp and Vangelisti’s coming apart stages?
A) intensifying
B) differentiating
C) stagnating
D) circumscribing
E) avoiding
18) When Grace speaks to Samson she uses communicative behaviors that make him feel good or comfortable
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
around her. This is an example of
A) positivity.
B) openness.
C) assurances.
D) blending social networks.
E) sharing tasks.
19) Amelia is willing to interact with her romantic partner, C.T., about their relationship. This is an example of
A) positivity.
B) openness.
C) assurances.
D) blending social networks.
E) sharing tasks.
20) Brian and Gloria use verbal and nonverbal behavior to demonstrate their commitment or faithfulness to each
other. This is an example of
A) positivity.
B) openness.
C) assurances.
D) blending social networks.
E) sharing tasks.
21) There are several reasons why one individual might have an interpersonal interest in another person.
According to the textbook, one reason is the desire to interact with someone based on a variety of factors
including physical attractiveness, personality, rewards, proximity, or similarity. These characteristics
generally describe the concept of
A) intensifying.
B) initiating.
C) physical attributes.
D) need to associate.
E) interpersonal attraction.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
22) Sienna and Mikhail work as professors at the same university. As a result, they share social friends and other
associates. These common friends help them bond their relationship. This is an example of
A) positivity.
B) openness.
C) assurances.
D) blending social networks.
E) sharing tasks.
23) Conflict in a relationship is inevitable, and the saying that “for better or for worse” implies that
A) people should remain in abusive relationships.
B) conflicts are always negative for a relationship
C) disagreements are optional and should be avoided.
D) one party must always lost in a disagreement.
E) there are implicit and explicit agreements to hold relationships together.
24) Which of the following statements best characterizes the experimenting phase of relationship development?
A) A judgment is made on whether or not to approach someone.
B) Conversation serves as an audition for the potential friend.
C) A public pronouncement is made of the relationship.
D) The relationship is seen as something special or unique.
E) The increased sharing of more personal information occurs.
25) Which statement best characterizes the stagnating stage of “coming apart?”
A) During stagnation, both verbal and nonverbal communication tends to be thoroughly thought out.
B) The stagnating stage involves a general tendency to talk about surface level topics so as to avoid
conflict.
C) The stagnating stage is the “elimination” stage of a relationship.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
D) Stagnating only occurs after differentiation.
E) During stagnation, both partners act as if each is a mortal enemy.
26) According to Duck’s phases of dissolution, which stage in a relationship is the one where the difficulties in
the relationship become apparent to family and friends?
A) familial phase
B) social phase
C) intrapsychic phase
D) dyadic phase
E) grave dressing phase
27) Maya and Rajeev’s relationship has developed to a point where they now are sharing confidences and have
increased their involvement in the relationship. Both have told each other “I love you.” Which stage of
“coming together” most accurately reflects the stage that Maya and Rajeev are experiencing?
A) bonding
B) integrating
C) intensifying
D) initiating
E) experimenting
28) Relationships can provide several warning signs indicating trouble is looming around the corner. In general,
the first warning sign is
A) intrapsychic behavior.
B) aggressive behavior.
C) betrayal.
D) lack of communication.
E) lies.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
29) According to communication scholars Burleson and Samter, the ability to make another person feel good is
known as a(n)
A) conversational skill.
B) ego supportive skill.
C) referential skill.
D) comforting skill.
E) persuasive skill.
30) Brian and Beth have been dating for some time. However, the nature and seriousness of their relationship is
ambiguous to most of their friends. To announce that they are moving in together, Brian and Beth invite their
closest friends over for wine and cheese. What stage in Knapp and Vangelisti’s model are Brian and Beth
entering?
A) intensifying
B) integrating
C) bonding
D) stagnating
E) differentiating
TRUE/FALSE
1) Physical proximity and timing are two factors that most often determine how people meet and begin
relationships with each other.
2) When each person in the relationship does his or her fair share of the work that needs to be done and takes
equal responsibility for what faces them, this is an example of sharing tasks.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
3) Having common friends has little effect on relationships.
4) The ability to adapt and know how to communicate in specific situations involves knowing when to be
empathic and comforting, or when to talk and when to listen.
5) According to Knapp and Vangelisti, all relationships go through specific stages of growth at the same rate
and in the same manner.
6) According to the text, people in romantic relationships tend to pair off by selecting individuals whom they
consider to be more attractive than themselves.
7) Online relationships do not go through the early relationship stages of initiation and maintenance.
8) The basic message of the avoiding stage of “coming apart” is “I am not interested in being with you
anymore.”
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
9) In the intensifying stage of relationships, there is still a sense of caution and testing to gain approval.
10) During Duck’s dyadic phase, an individual begins to internally assess his or her dissatisfaction with a
relationship.
SHORT ANSWER
1) Identify and briefly explain Knapp and Vangelisti’s stages of coming together.
2) Identify and briefly explain Knapp and Vangelisti’s stages of coming apart.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
3) Explain whether conflict has to be destructive.
4) Define interpersonal conflict. Why does conflict occur in relationships?
5) List and explain two conflict resolution skills.
6) Explain Knapp and Vangelisti’s perspective about the degree to which relationships move through stages in a
sequential order.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
7) Explain what happens in the intrapsychic phase of relationship dissolution.
8) Explain what happens in the social phase of relationship dissolution.
9) Provide three examples of verbal responses that a person can say in order to invite more communication.
10) What type of personality traits can lead to conflict?
11) Explain this statement: “Conflict can bring new life into a relationship and strengthen it.” Provide an example
to support your explanation.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
vary.
12) Describe how people might feel when constructive communication is at the center of their relationship.
13) Describe how verbal communication changes in the intensifying stage of coming together.
14) Describe some strategies you might use to help create a nurturing and supportive interpersonal environment.
15) Describe the three types of attraction identified by McCroskey and McCain.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
16) According to your textbook, why do “mismatches” (e.g., beauty and the beast) occur and what explains
them?
17) Explain how the experimenting and intensifying stages of “coming together” are different.
18) Describe what happens in the bonding stage of coming together.
19) Explain the basic differences between lying and betrayal in terms of how they signify troubles in a
relationship.
20) Explain how the circumscribing stage of “coming apart” is different from the stagnating phase.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
ESSAY
1) In terms of Duck’s phases of dissolution, briefly analyze a relationship you had which has now ended,
indicating the different phases the relationship experienced. To what degree did the relationship mirror Duck’s
phases of disengagement?
2) Explain how interpersonal conflict can be destructive to a relationship. Provide an example to illustrate your
explanation.
3) Briefly analyze a new relationship you have formed in the last year. This relationship could be a romantic
relationship or a friendship. In what ways do the stages in your new relationship illustrate Knapp and
Vangelisti’s stages of coming together? Do you think this framework for relationships is applicable to
friendships, or is it only applicable to romantic relationships? Provide examples to illustrate your answer.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
4) Your friend comments to you that she and her boyfriend might be having trouble in their relationship. What
are some of the signs the relationship is indeed in trouble? What advice would you give her to help her repair
the relationship?
5) Rate yourself using Burleson and Samter’s definitions of interpersonal skills. Briefly identify at least four of
the seven skills, and describe how it applies to you.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition