Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
CHAPTER 8: RESEARCH: GATHERING AND USING INFORMATION
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1) Professional speakers indicate that every ten minutes of speaking time requires at least how many hours of
research and presentation time?
A) 2 hours B) 10 hours C) 6 hours D) 4 hours E) 20 hours
2) Sara is preparing an informative speech on the Nebraska History Museum. She wants to find up-to-date
information from people who have expert, specialized knowledge of her topic. What type of information
source would be most appropriate for her speech?
A) social media
B) interviews
C) personal observations
D) magazine articles
E) websites
3) Josh is conducting interviews for an informative speech on Google Earth. What critical step in the interview
process follows establishing the purpose of the interview?
A) Profile the nonverbal behaviors of the interviewee.
B) Transcribe the interview verbatim.
C) Conduct post-interview research.
D) Think through the nonverbal behaviors he will use.
E) Choose the interviewee.
4) Darrel is preparing an entertainment speech on Final Fantasy gaming. As he conducts online research, which
of the following is NOT a primary criterion he should use for evaluating information on websites?
A) links
B) publishing body
C) author
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
D) currency
E) purpose
5) Telling your audience, “According to the communication scholar Mehrabian, nonverbal communication is
important to observe in classroom settings,” is an example of using
A) expert opinion.
B) an explanation.
C) an illustration.
D) an analogy.
E) restatement.
6)
“In 1979, petroleum and natural gas contributed 67 percent of the total energy, while coal supplied only 30
percent. Electrical power increased from a negligible amount in 1900 to about 500 watts per person.” The
type of support material used in this example is
A) definition.
B) comparison.
C) expert opinion.
D) restatement.
E) statistics.
7) Which of the following is an example of an analogy?
A) “Feedback is to communication what the thermostat is to the furnace.”
B) “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”
C) “Martin is like a friend.”
D) “Everything that goes up must come down.”
E) “A puma is like a small lion.”
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
8) “Imagine that you are in a situation where an angry mob has accused a friend of a serious crime and they are
going to hang him because they believe your friend is guilty, even though he isn’t. Your only chance to save
your friend is to convince the unruly mob of your friend’s innocence.” This is best described as
A) a hypothetical illustration.
B) a factual narrative.
C) a literal analogy.
D) a factual illustration.
E) a literal metaphor.
9) For her informative speech on the university library, Lauren draws a comparison between an interlibrary loan
and Netflix. This is an example of
A) a figurative analogy.
B) a literal analogy.
C) a logical definition.
D) an operational definition.
E) a definition by example.
10) The function indicator “.edu” or “.gov” of a URL indicates that the purpose of the website is
A) to provide factual information and explanation.
B) to influence public opinion and advocate for particular issues.
C) to promote and sell products.
D) to entertain.
E) to identify accredited museums.
11) The function indicator “.org” of a URL indicates that the purpose of the website is
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
A) to provide factual information and explanations.
B) to promote and sell products, or provide current news and information.
C) to identify accredited museums.
D) to influence public opinion and advocate for particular issues.
E) to entertain.
12) Which of the following is an appropriate suggestion for beginning the research process?
A) Save your search until after you have written a rough draft of the speech.
B) Focus on one type of source material.
C) As you start your search, read all available material on the topic.
D) Start early, and gather more information than you think you’ll need.
E) Use computer searches only when absolutely necessary.
13) An important early task that speakers should accomplish before writing interview questions and prior to
conducting an interview is to
A) get a quality tape recorder.
B) research the topic.
C) prepare a bibliography on the topic.
D) arrange the room where the interview is to be held.
E) record a practice interview.
14) According to the text, which of the following is an appropriate source of information one can use when
researching a speech topic?
A) “canned” speeches provided in professional magazines
B) yourself
C) personal websites
D) tabloids
E) editorials
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
15) The difference between a mediocre speech and a good speech is found
A) in the speaker’s ability to monitor nonverbal behaviors.
B) mostly in the quantity of supporting materials.
C) in the speaker’s ability to eliminate speech anxiety.
D) in the uniqueness of the speaker’s topic.
E) in the quality and quantity of supporting materials.
16) The conclusions of recognized authorities are referred to as
A) hypothetical illustration.
B) paraphrasing.
C) restatement.
D) testimony.
E) analogy.
17) When giving a speech about the benefits of eating a particular brand of breakfast cereal, the most reliable and
objective expert opinion would come from
A) a friend who eats lots of cereal.
B) statistics from a cereal company.
C) the CEO of the cereal company.
D) a professional athlete who likes the cereal.
E) a nutritionist.
18) An important difference between websites and print sources such as journals and periodicals is that
A) only print sources provide information about the author of the material.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
B) only websites provide current information on different topics.
C) websites do not undergo the same evaluation and review process that print sources go through.
D) websites provide more accurate information than print sources.
E) print sources are more readily available and easier to access.
19) Tony, an international student, wants to give an informative speech on his home country and culture. The
best source of information for Tony would likely be
A) the Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature.
B) his personal experience.
C) the Internet.
D) interviews with experts.
E) an encyclopedia.
20) You realize that having another person’s point of view would make your speech more interesting. The best
source of information to consult to find that material would be
A) an encyclopedia.
B) an interview.
C) the Internet.
D) your personal experience.
E) a book of quotations.
21) Statistics enable speakers to
A) prove their points without refutation.
B) summarize a large amount of data quickly.
C) gloss over trends.
D) monitor nonverbal behaviors.
E) explain why something occurred.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
22) Which of the following is a suggestion for using statistics?
A) Explain statistics as quickly as possible.
B) Avoid presenting statistics visually.
C) Use many statistics.
D) Provide exact numbers.
E) Make sure statistics are from neutral sources.
23) When using testimony, public speakers must be certain to
A) avoid paraphrasing, especially for technical material.
B) use authorities most people have not heard of before.
C) double-check quotations for accuracy, and do not use them out of context.
D) use abstract quotations whenever possible.
E) use at least two experts per main point in your speech.
24) According to Aristotle, every speech has essentially which two parts?
A) an introduction and a conclusion
B) a statement and its conclusion
C) a statement and its proof
D) a conclusion and a review of the main points
E) a body and a conclusion
25) An advantage of using testimony in a speech is that it usually adds ________ to what the speaker says.
A) trustworthiness
B) scope
C) quantity
D) imagery
E) perspective
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
26) Which of the following sources provide the most recently available information for speech writing?
A) books
B) surveys
C) databases
D) weekly magazines and newspapers
E) editorials and political polls
27) “Selective admission is when a university does not admit a student unless he or she scores at least a 20 on the
ACT test.” This statement is an example of what type of definition?
A) definition by example
B) connotative definition
C) operational definition
D) informative definition
E) logical definition
28) “When I use the phrase ‘race baiting,’ I refer to the usage of any phrase with a historical background rooted
in racial fears to induce current racist sentiment.” This statement is an example of what type of definition?
A) definition by example
B) informative definition
C) connotative definition
D) logical definition
E) operational definition
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
29) When using statistics, you should always remember to
A) only use statistics, and no other presentation aids.
B) use them often.
C) let them speak for themselves.
D) use neutral sources.
E) be exacting with large numbers.
30) Amanda is presenting an informational speech on parent-child estrangement and wants to find a website that
provides factual information and explanations. What URL function indicator should she look for?
A) .net or.com
B) .name
C) .edu or .gov
D) .museums
E) .coop
TRUE/FALSE
1) Sarah is giving a persuasive speech on migrant workers. The first part of her research plan should involve
starting early and gathering more information than she thinks she will need.
2) You are one of the most valuable sources of information available for giving a speech.
3) Material on a web page is more suspect than material gathered from traditional sources.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
4) Zantel is doing an informative speech on grassroots organizations in Omaha. Grassroots organization
members could provide expert opinions for her speech.
5) Paraphrasing involves changing the meaning of an original statement to make it more understandable for
listeners.
6) Audra is doing a persuasive speech on multiethnic children. If she makes a comparison of two ethnicities that
are similar in essential characteristics in her speech, this would be an example of an analogy.
7) The Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature is one of the most popular electronic indexes used for gathering
information.
8) For maximum believability, testimony should come from objective sources.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
9) According to the text, doing good and effective research involves the use of shortcuts.
10) Operational definitions contain dictionary definitions and a list of characteristics distinguishing them from
other items in the same category.
SHORT ANSWER
1) Why would you want to use mediated information sources? What mediated information sources could you
use to support your speech?
2) Should an interviewer stick strictly to the questions he or she has generated before the interview? Why or
why not?
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
3) Why should you conduct research prior to conducting an interview?
4) Discuss the value of using testimony in a speech. Provide an example of testimony used to enhance a speech.
5) List four of the seven guidelines for recording interviews.
6) Discuss the difference between a literal and figurative analogy. Provide an example to illustrate your answer.
7)
Discuss the difference between a logical and an operational definition. Provide an example of each.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
8) What are the three segments of an interview?
9) Briefly identify and describe three types of examples used by speakers. Provide an example you could use in
your own speech for each example type.
10) What should expert opinion provide in a speech?
11) What are the distinctions between a brief example and an illustration?
12) When is it useful to use a definition? Provide an example of words would you need to define in your speech.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
13) Provide at least two tips for using statistics in a speech.
14) Explain what LexisNexis is.
15) Explain the difference in purposes for “.com” and “.org” WWW sites.
16) What are the elements of a properly stated logical definition?
17) What are the three guidelines for using definitions? Describe how you will use these guidelines to help you
with your speech.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
18) Explain two reasons that statistics should be used in a speech.
19) Explain how you can effectively use hypothetical illustrations while speaking.
20) Identify and briefly explain the two essential tests for selecting testimony to use in your speech.
ESSAY
1) Identify and describe the various options you have for gathering information for your speeches. For your
upcoming speech, develop an action plan for using these different options. Which options do you think are
most appropriate for your topic and specific purpose?
2) Explain the process you should go through when conducting an interview to find information for your
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
speech. Also, identify potential individuals (either actual individuals, job titles, types of individuals, etc.) you
could interview for your upcoming speech.
3) Describe the steps you would need to take to develop a research plan. Outline a research plan for your next
speech.
4) Explain what types of supporting material you can use in a speech. Identify the types, explain what they are,
and provide an example (either real or fictional) of each.
5) Statistics are perhaps the most difficult type of support material to use effectively. Discuss the tips for using
statistics effectively that were identified in your text.
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition
Test Bank for Communication: Making Connections, Tenth Edition