Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
CHAPTER 15: GROUP AND TEAM COMMUNICATION
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1) Which of the following does NOT reflect a common reason why people join groups, according to social
psychologist Paul Paulus?
A) Groups help to satisfy important psychological and social needs.
B) Group membership helps people achieve goals they could have accomplished on their own.
C) Group membership can provide multiple sources of information and knowledge that might not be
available to one individual.
D) Groups can help meet the need for security.
E) Group membership can also contribute to an individual’s positive social identity.
2) Generally, the ideal group size involves how many members?
A) 5 to 7 members
B) 15 to 17 members
C) 11 to 13 members
D) 2 to 3 members
E) 8 to 10 members
3) Jill looks forward to the morning coffee break at the office. It makes her feel better and helps her get to know
her co-workers. The purpose of this small group activity is best described as
A) task.
B) therapy.
C) problem-solving.
D) social.
E) learning.
4) Small group task-related purposes include
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
A) catharsis.
B) problem solving.
C) socializing.
D) learning.
E) therapy.
5) ________ refers to the desire of group members to work together to complete their task to the satisfaction of
the entire group.
A) Interdependence
B) Motivation
C) Organization
D) Interaction
E) Commitment
6) Which of the following is NOT a defining quality of a coherent group?
A) interaction
B) importance of group
C) goals
D) similarity
E) strong leader
7) Several women on campus decided to form a late-night “buddy” group so that no one has to walk home alone
from a party or a study session. Which advantage of group membership does this provide?
A) increases positive social identity
B) allows for learning
C) provides a social need
D) increases knowledge
E) provides security
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
8) According to intercultural communication scholars, which nation tends to have a collectivistic orientation?
A) Canada B) New
Zealand C) Colombia D) United
States E) The
Netherlands
9) During the congressional campaign, each of the campaign volunteers worked hard to complete his or her
respective tasks in order to satisfy the other group members. This example best illustrates
A) input.
B) responsiveness.
C) interdependence.
D) commitment.
E) norms.
10) What type of group is mostly focused on social and interpersonal relationships?
A) problem-solving groups
B) primary groups
C) decision-making groups
D) secondary groups
E) committees
11) Which statement accurately reflects the relationship between group size and group effectiveness?
A) A group that is too large can limit the information and the ideas generated.
B) Efficient groups usually consist of an even number of members.
C) Five-member groups seem optimum for many intellectual tasks.
D) A group that is too small can limit the contributions that each person makes.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
E) Large groups make it easy to follow a set agenda.
12) Which of the following statements is the strongest reason why small group norms are formed?
A) Norms develop in small groups to satisfy the individual goals of small group members.
B) Small groups have norms because of the expectations of other organizations.
C) Small groups develop norms because the norms enable small group members to attain group goals and
satisfy interpersonal needs.
D) Small group norms develop to give members the opportunity to be independent while accomplishing a
single task.
E) Small groups form norms because society expects small groups to have identifying characteristics.
13) When deciding on the most effective size for a group, remember that
A) larger groups reduce the time and amount of individual interaction.
B) larger groups can limit the opportunity for aggressive members to assert their dominance.
C) smaller groups reduce the time and amount of individual interaction.
D) larger groups make it easier to follow a set agenda.
E) smaller groups provide a greater opportunity for aggressive members to assert their dominance.
14) If Dawn said that the group members in her campus organization are mutually dependent, what essential
characteristic of a small group would be reflected?
A) organization
B) motivation
C) cohesiveness
D) commitment
E) interdependence
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
15) Which of the following groups is an example of a primary group?
A) a city council
B) a fantasy football group
C) a police task force
D) a work committee
E) a study group
16) Which of the following statements does NOT accurately reflect communication in social media groups?
A) It is possible to carry on group communication as if you were face-to-face with others who may be in a
variety of different locations.
B) Communication with the interaction either texted or voice-based can take place in groups.
C) Texted or voice-based methods or approaches can be quite good when something has to be decided
quickly and it is not possible to gather everyone together at the same time.
D) Asynchronous communication means that message responses have slight or prolonged time delays.
E) Social media interactions are typically richer than face-to-face interactions.
17)
In groups comprised of both women and men, which of the following statements about research findings
pertaining to differences in the way they communicate is accurate?
A) Women are more likely to dominate conversation.
B) Women are more likely to offer negative responses to others’ comments.
C) Men tend to be more subjective in their comments.
D) Women are more likely to be verbally aggressive in groups.
E) Men are more likely to be goal-oriented.
18) Which of the following ethical considerations is NOT recommended for group communication?
A) Confidential information shared in the group should remain confidential.
B) Group members must use information ethically.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
C) Members of a group should not deliberately deceive other group members.
D) All group members should conduct themselves with honesty and integrity.
E) Only those group members designated as leaders should state opinions in group meetings.
19) Perhaps the most essential characteristic of a small group is
A) social facilitation.
B) group culture.
C) interdependence.
D) norms.
E) size.
20) “Members will respect each other’s right to state an opinion” is an example of a group’s
A) interdependence.
B) norm.
C) social facilitation.
D) purpose.
E) cohesiveness.
21) Seven people are brought together to help design a new academic building on campus, including a faculty
member, maintenance worker, student, computer technician, and a non-faculty staff member. This group was
highly diverse, yet also highly interdependent, as their design must meet multiple needs. This collection of
people exhibits characteristics of a
A) social group.
B) team.
C) asynchronous group.
D) focus group.
E) primary group.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
22) During which stage of group development do differences and emotions about the issues first start to surface?
A) performing
B) adjourning
C) norming
D) storming
E) forming
23) In which stage of Tuckman’s group development model do members show a high degree of group
identification and interdependence, and work together as a group?
A) performing
B) forming
C) storming
D) adjourning
E) norming
24) Secondary groups that focus on problem solving likely will also focus on
A) member support.
B) socialization.
C) decision making.
D) therapy.
E) catharsis.
25) Another term for the patterns of values, beliefs, norms and behavior shared by group members is
A) group makeup.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
B) group principles.
C) group norms.
D) group culture.
E) group expectations.
26) The type of group responsible for an entire work process or part of a process that delivers a product or
service to an internal or external customer is called a(n)
A) work team.
B) project team.
C) primary team.
D) focus group.
E) labor group.
27) When the harmony of the group is seen as more important than new ideas and changing previous
assumptions, that group is displaying
A) norming.
B) facilitation.
C) cohesiveness.
D) interdependence.
E) groupthink.
28) ________ is an individual intentionally assigned to question or criticize the group’s actions.
A) Devil’s
advocate B) Group leader C) Task leader D) Social loafer E) Social leader
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
29) Amita dreaded the group project in her marketing class, because one group member spent all his time texting
during their work sessions. Amita knew that she and the other three group members would have to work
extra hard to get a good grade. What disadvantage of group work does this describe?
A) groupthink
B) pressure to fail
C) closed-mindedness
D) social loafing
E) grouphate
30)
________ occurs when groups do not meet their potential because the majority of group members place
pressure on the most capable members not to excel.
A) Groupthink
B) Social loafing
C) Unfair workloads
D) Pressure to fail
E) Grouphate
TRUE/FALSE
1) The family is probably the predominant small group.
2) Small groups can provide multiple sources of information and knowledge that might not be available to
individuals.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
3) Individualistic cultures have a “we” consciousness.
4) Groupthink is a positive characteristic of groups since it indicates strong cohesiveness and cohesion among
group members.
5) Like groups, teams consist of individuals with very similar skills and characteristics.
6) Secondary groups exist to accomplish tasks or achieve goals.
7) In most group situations, norms are written and formal.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
8) Robert’s Rules of Order is the most widely-used authority on conducting social, business, and government
meetings.
9) Therapeutic group sessions primarily help people alter their attitudes, feelings, or behavior about some aspect
of their personal lives.
10) One strategy for preventing groupthink is to encourage members to express disagreement without judgement.
SHORT ANSWER
1) Describe what makes a group. What is an example of a group you are a part of?
2) Explain why confidential information shared in the group should remain confidential.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
3) Discuss ways that technology can influence group interactions.
4) Explain three of the five ethical principles necessary for productive group behavior.
5) Explain why commitment is essential to the successful outcome of a group and provide an example.
6) Explain small group interdependence and provide an example.
7) Explain how group work differs in time from working alone.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
complete a task in a shorter amount of time than a group.
8) Your text outlined five major disadvantages of working in small groups, including “pressure to fail.”
Describe how it negatively impacts a group.
9) Explain the difference between individualistic and collectivistic orientations. Provide an example of each.
10) Describe some of the research findings pertaining to differences in the way men and women seem to
communicate in small groups.
11) Explain the relationship between decision-making and problem-solving tasks for small groups.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
12) What two factors affect the successful use of technology for group interactions?
13) How are commitment and cohesiveness different?
14) Explain the purpose of committees. Provide an example.
15) What must individual group members do in order for interdependence to occur?
16) How are project teams and work teams different from one another?
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
17) Explain three reasons why teams are different from groups.
18) Explain group culture and describe how it is created.
19) Identify and describe three disadvantages of small groups.
20) Explain the notion of social loafing and describe what this behavior might look like in a small group.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
ESSAY
1) Discuss the five reasons people might join a group. Use examples from your own experiences to illustrate
your discussion.
2)
Throughout the textbook, you have learned a number of ethical principles for communication. What ethical
principles should guide communication that takes place in small groups? Why are these ethical principles
important for effective group communication?
3) List and explain the steps in Tuckman’s model of group development. Provide an example from a group you
have participated in to illustrate each step.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
4) Discuss the general characteristics of small groups. After explaining those characteristics, use examples from
your own experiences to illustrate them.
5) Describe procedures that can be used to minimize the possibility of groupthink.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition