1. According to research, most listeners retain 70 percent of a message for several weeks.
2. There is no single “best” listening style to use in all situations.
3. A good listener will always state her own judgment of the situation so the other person knows
where she stands on the issue.
4. You should do more paraphrasing than any other type of listening.
5. We spend more time listening than in any other type of communication.
6. It’s impossible to listen effectively all of the time.
7. During careful listening, your heart rate will quicken and your body temperature will rise.
8. Since paraphrasing may not always be accurate, speaking tentatively allows the other person to
make a correction.
9. Studies show that good listeners keep eye contact and react with appropriate facial expressions.
10. According to the text, the most helpful way of responding to a problem is to offer good, specific
advice.
11. Speaking is an active process; listening is a passive activity.
12. Selective listening is a reasonable thing to do when screening commercials and keeping an ear out
for the weather report.
13. Because prompting involves using silences, it is not classified as a listening response.
14. Prompting is a more passive listening style than advising.
15. Even if you give accurate advice to a person, that advice may not be helpful.
16. Accurate of a problem may arouse defensiveness.
17. A paraphrase that contains both thoughts and feelings can be a useful tool to help others because it
allows the problem holder to unload concerns.
18. Questioning and paraphrasing are both forms of feedback.
19. Counterfeit questions are aimed at understanding others.
20. Analyzing can be one way to help a speaker consider alternative meanings.
21. Advice given in a respectful, caring way is always the best listening response to use when
approached with another’s problem.
22. Of the many different elements in the listening process, hearing is the physiological dimension.
23. According to your text, most people usually try their best to listen but their effectiveness is limited
primarily by biological factors.
24. When you are paraphrasing, you need to repeat what the speaker has said word for word.
25. Factual information paraphrasing focuses on the ideas a speaker has expressed.
26. Since all judging listening responses are negative, we should avoid them at all cost.
27. You should rotate your styles of listening after one or two responses so that you don’t become
bored by any one style.
28. While an important factor in making relationships work, listening is still less important than
speaking.
29. Studies show that business people believe not only that listening is important but also that they do it
well.
30. Hearing occurs when the brain reconstructs electrochemical impulses into a representation of the
original sound and then gives them meaning.
31. Mindless listening is never suggested because it shows lack of concern for the speaker.
32. Mindless listening can be potentially valuable.
33. Whereas hearing is a physiological process, attending is a psychological one.
34. Research suggests that most people remember about 60 percent of what they hear immediately after
hearing it.
35. The residual message is the part of the message that we actually remember.
36. Interruptions are one characteristic of stage-hogging.
37. Insulated listeners respond only to the parts of your remarks that interest them.
38. Listening is easier to do than speaking.
39. Rapid thought is a factor in why we don’t listen better because we can understand speech faster
than the other person speaks.
40. Listening is a natural ability and can’t be improved through training.
41. A counterfeit tag question is one where the asker is looking for agreement, not information.
42. Supporting listening responses allow you to tell the other person how you think he/she feels.
43. Women, rather than men, tend to respond to others’ problems by offering advice.
44. Women are more likely than men to give supportive responses when presented with another
person’s problems.
45. When considering what listening response style to choose, the best choice will always be your
personal style.
46. An issue of the International Journal of Listening indicates that listening skills are crucial in
contexts such as education, health care, and business, but not necessarily in religion.
47. Good listening involves paying attention to nonverbal cues as well as the actual spoken words.
48. Listening fidelity refers to the degree of congruence between what a listener understands and what
the message-sender was attempting to communicate.
49. Keeping eye contact and reacting with appropriate facial expressions are important factors in
children’s s of “good” and “bad” listeners.
50. The deluge of messages requiring our attention every day has made the challenge of attending
tougher than at any time in human history.
51. People are less likely to feel annoyed or hurt if their partner’s poor listening is due to hearing loss.
52. Studies have shown that, in times of distress, women want support and men want advice.
53. The most appropriate response to someone’s grief is to point out the silver lining.
54. Men generally seek advice from men, and women seek emotional support from women in times of
emotional need.
55. If criticism is delivered constructively enough, the recipient will not become defensive.
56. You should never admit to someone who is grieving that you don’t know what to say.
57. Giving support to others can lessen their distress but potentially increase yours.
58. You are likely to have more success giving advice to a highly rational person than to someone who
is emotional.
59. His supervisor asked Arturo to generate a PowerPoint presentation for the Thursday team meeting.
On Thursday, Arturo showed up without the presentation. Which element of the listening process is
where Arturo’s listening failed?
a. hearing
b. attending
c. understanding
d. remembering
e. any of the above
60. According to a study of college students and their communication activities, over 20 percent of
their communication time was spent
a. writing.
b. speaking.
c. engaging in interpersonal listening.
d. reading.
e. engaging in media listening.
61. All of the following are ineffective listening styles mentioned in the text except
a. ambushing.
b. insulated listening.
c. stage hogging.
d. pseudolistening.
e. signal listening.
62. Which best describes the relationship between our rate of hearing speech and the average rate of
speaking?
a. We speak at nearly the same rate we are able to listen.
b. We can listen 4-6 times faster than an average person speaks.
c. We are able to speak 2 times faster than an average person can listen.
d. We are able to listen slightly faster than an average person speaks.
e. We can listen twice as fast as an average person speaks.
63. The process of using questioning and paraphrasing messages is a type of
a. linear communication.
b. insensitive listening.
c. selective perception.
d. defensive behavior.
e. perception checking.
64. All of the following are reasons why it is difficult to listen all the time except which one?
a. We hear so many verbal messages.
b. We are often wrapped up in personal concerns.
c. We comprehend words at a slower rate than people speak them.
d. We have many physical distractions.
e. We think speaking has more advantages than listening.
65. Giving only the appearance of being attentive is termed
a. pseudolistening.
b. selective listening.
c. defensive listening.
d. insensitive listening.
e. fake listening.
66. The advantage of paraphrasing to help is that
a. you can help the problem-holder to sort out the problem.
b. you can suggest the solution that’s best for your partner.
c. you can point out your partner’s good ideas.
d. you can share your own experiences and ideas.
e. All of these answers are correct.
67. According to your text, advice is
a. only to be used when paraphrasing fails.
b. helpful when it is correct or accurate.
c. best when preceded by your of a situation.
d. actually unhelpful at least as often as it is helpful.
e. less helpful than either supporting or judging response styles.
68. Which is the best helping paraphrase response to the following statement? “My boss keeps kidding
me about how we should have an affair. I don’t know what to do. Sometimes I think he’s just
joking, and sometimes I think it’s a real proposition.”
a. “Either way it’s sexual harassment, which is illegal. You shouldn’t let him get away with it!”
b. “So you can’t figure out his motives, is that it?”
c. “You sound upset by this.”
d. “You sound worried and confused because you’re not sure if he’s coming on to you or not.”
e. “That’s a common problem these days. I can see why you’re upset, and I don’t blame you.”
69. Imagine you’ve been listening for some time to a friend talk about whether or not to drop out of
school. Which is the best helping paraphrase response?
a. “You’re confused because there are as many reasons to stay as there are to leave, right?”
b. “Which alternative sounds best to you?”
c. “When you’re this confused, it’s best to go with your heart.”
d. “You do sound mixed up. Maybe you ought to hold off making a decision for a while.”
e. “Tell me more. I think we can get to the bottom of this if we talk it out. I’m listening.”
70. You meet a friend at the supermarket and ask how he is doing. He replies, “I’m OK for the most
part, just stressed with all these finals.” Which of the following is the best helping paraphrase
response?
a. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”
b. “So, you’re stressed, huh?”
c. “You’ll be fine; you always get good grades.”
d. “Bet you’re wishing you hadn’t taken 18 units, huh?”
e. “So, you’re managing most things just fine, but will be relieved when finals are over?”
71. When you try to reflect the underlying theme in a statement, you are engaging in
a. judging.
b. questioning.
c. paraphrasing.
d. prompting.
e. pseudolistening.
72. Which of the following bodily changes occurs during careful listening?
a. heart rate quickens
b. respiration increases
c. body temperature rises
d. all of these answers are correct
e. none of these answers are correct
73. Which of the following is the best helping paraphrase response to the following statement? “I’m
really bummed out about my apartment situation.”
a. “So, you’re bummed out, huh?”
b. “Your apartment situation is bad?”
c. “You’re depressed because you haven’t found a place to live yet?”
d. “You should really get a new place; I agree.”
e. “It will all work out by next month.”
74. Constructive criticism is a kind of listening response that falls into the category termed
a. advising.
b. judging.
c. analyzing.
d. supporting.
e. questioning.
75. Your roommate gives the appearance of listening to you, but you can tell from her responses that
her mind is elsewhere. You could call her listening style in this instance
a. stage hogging.
b. insulated listening.
c. pseudolistening.
d. defensive listening.
e. ambushing.
76. Which of the following is the best helping paraphrase response to the following statements? “I can’t
stand that class! The lectures are a waste of time, and the tests are full of nitpicking questions. I’m
not learning anything.”
a. “Sounds like you’re fed up with the class.”
b. “Sounds like you’re thinking about dropping the class.”
c. “Sounds like the class has nit–picking tests and is a waste of time.”
d. “Sounds like you resent spending so much time on information you don’t consider useful.”
e. “Sounds like you’re fed up with school.”
77. “I think that the reason you’re so confused is that you’re trying to make everyone else happy and
forgetting your own happiness.” This statement is what type of listening response?
a. supporting
b. advising
c. questioning
d. paraphrasing
e. analyzing
78. “From what you’ve said, it sounds like you’re mad at your boss for expecting you to drop your
personal plans whenever he wants you to work. Is that right?” This statement is what type of
response?
a. supporting
b. judging
c. questioning
d. paraphrasing
e. analyzing
79. “Sure it’s unfair. But you shouldn’t let that stop you. Life is unfair, so you’re crazy to let it bother
you.” This statement is what type of response?
a. supporting
b. judging
c. questioning
d. paraphrasing
e. parroting
80. When choosing the best listening style, it is important to consider
a. the situation.
b. the other person.
c. your personal style.
d. both a and b above.
e. a, b, and c above.
81. Harper listens carefully to her instructor as he discusses the upcoming exam since she hopes to get
an A. This illustrates what step in the listening process?
a. hearing
b. attending
c. understanding
d. responding
e. remembering
82. All of the following are reasons why it’s impossible to listen well all the time except
a. message overload.
b. rapid thought.
c. lack of training.
d. faulty assumptions.
e. message importance.
83. The residual message is
a. the part of the message we respond to.
b. the part of the message we understand.
c. the part of the message we remember.
d. usually stated first.
e. usually stated last.
84. Making sense of a message is related to which element of listening?
a. hearing
b. attending
c. understanding
d. responding
e. remembering
85. “Are you finally off the phone” is an example of a question that
a. traps the speaker.
b. makes a statement.
c. carries a hidden agenda.
d. seeks a ‘correct’ answer.
e. is based on an unchecked assumption.