1. Assume that you are a supervisor who manages more than 20 employees, each of whom occupies a different job.
At a recent project meeting with your employees, you discussed with them the importance of communication and
the rapidly developing technology associated with communication. A point that you should not fail to make in your
discussion is that:
a. supervisory communication is always one–way.
b. face–to–face communication is inefficient.
c. formal communication channels should be used at all times.
d. communication evokes a shared meaning in another person.
2. Which of the following interpersonal communication skills has the Department of Labor identified as being
necessary for successful functioning in the workplace?
a. Empathy
b. Writing
c. Reading
d. Understanding
3. The evoking of a shared, or common, meaning in another person is known as .
a. interpretation
b. communication
c. a response pattern
d. a message
4. The element of a communication model that contains the thoughts and feelings a communicator is attempting to
elicit in a receiver is called a(n) .
a. data
b. feedback
c. message
d. information
5. Which of the following media is considered high in information richness?
a. Personalized memo
b. Electronic mail
c. Telephone
d. Flyer
6. The window through which we interact with people and influence the quality, accuracy, and clarity of the
communication is called .
a. a perceptual screen
b. a communication filter
c. an interpretation funnel
d. the communication vacuum
7. A communication medium that is moderate in both information richness and data capacity is:
a. the telephone.
b. electronic mail.
c. face-to–face discussion.
d. formal numeric report.
8. When a supervisor sends a message to his or her employees who comprise a diverse workgroup, both parties to the
message should be sensitive to:
a. the perceptual screens.
b. the external environment.
c. the informal communication channel.
d. the implicit thoughts and feelings of each other.
9. As a supervisor, you decide you need to communicate with several of your employees about below standard or
unsatisfactory work. Which of the following would be the best way to send your message?
a. E-mail
b. A memo posted on a bulletin board
c. A telephone call
d. A face-to-face meeting
10. Kodak has used blogging and social media to encourage customer conversations and decision making, thus
leveraging the business in a positive way. The information richness and data capacity of blogging as a
communication medium is:
a. high and low respectively.
b. low and high respectively.
c. moderate for both the characteristics.
d. high for both the characteristics.
11. If one of your employees was in the early stages of expressing thoughts and feelings about a problem, especially
when there may be some associated anxiety or discomfort, it would be most appropriate for you to:
a. paraphrase the expressed thoughts and feelings.
b. clarify implicit thoughts and feelings.
c. reflect core feelings.
d. make affirming contact.
12. Providing the time to identify and isolate the listener’s personal responses and exclude them from the dialogue is one
of the purposes of:
a. paraphrasing expressed thoughts and feelings.
b. clarifying implicit thoughts and feelings.
c. eye contact.
d. silence.
13. Which of the following is NOT true of reflective listening?
a. Reflective listening emphasizes personal elements of the communication process.
b. Reflective listening is particularly helpful in problem-solving situations.
c. Reflective listening emphasizes more strongly the role of the communicator.
d. The listener‘s emphasis should be on responding to the communicator, not leading the communicator.
14. All of the following are included in reflective listening except:
a. affirming contact.
b. clarifying the implicit.
c. silence.
d. criticism.
15. If your supervisor spoke with you about a significant production problem within your department, you would avoid:
a. paraphrasing the concern being expressed.
b. eye contact with him or her.
c. long periods of silence.
d. asking questions for clarification.
16. One-way communication in contrast to two-way communication:
a. is especially more accurate for complex tasks.
b. solicits interaction.
c. allows for reflective listening.
d. is especially faster.
17. As a supervisor in an emergency situation, you should be:
a. sensitive to employees’ feelings.
b. an empathetic listener.
c. an apprehensive communicator.
d. directive and assertive.
18. Information overload for employees or a lack of sufficient information for performance and task accomplishment
can result from:
a. a failure to filter and disseminate information selectively.
b. the tendency to use overly rich media of communication.
c. inappropriate use of the perceptual window.
d. gender differences.
19. A barrier to effective communication is:
a. redundancy.
b. feedback.
c. status difference.
d. common dialect.
20. Which of the following approaches must a supervisor avoid in order to reduce communication barriers?
a. Minimizing jargon and technical language
b. Encouraging formation of nonhierarchical working relationships
c. Providing cross-cultural training
d. Encouraging men and women to interact the same way
21. A main method to overcome physical separation as a barrier to communication is to:
a. form nonhierarchical working relationships.
b. to develop an awareness of gender specific differences in conversational style.
c. to eliminate the use of technical terminology in communication.
d. to increase the use of face-to-face communication.
22. An effective method to reduce or overcome barriers to communication due to gender differences is to:
a. frequently use metaphors.
b. avoid using jargon and technical terms.
c. seek clarification of a person’s meaning.
d. avoid face-to-face communication.
23. All of the following are forms of incivility except:
a. discourteousness.
b. impatience.
c. social swearing.
d. rudeness.
24. People who are egotistical usually exhibit:
a. subordinate defensiveness.
b. dominant defensiveness.
c. nonverbal communication.
d. nondefensive communication.
25. Which of the following is NOT considered a result or outcome of defensive communication?
a. Assertive but accurate message sending
b. Increased nonproductive time
c. Retaliation
d. Aggression and abuse
26. You witness an incident at work where a supervisor loudly criticizes an employee in front of several other
employees. Later, you learn that the employee didn‘t make any mistake. The supervisor’s communication is an
example of:
a. nondefensive communication.
b. a territorial space violation.
c. paralanguage.
d. dominant defensiveness.
27. Passive-aggressive communication and behavior frequently end up as:
a. dominant defensive behavior.
b. nonassertive behavior.
c. accommodative and helpful behavior.
d. nondefensive behavior.
28. A manager comments to her secretary, “How come Nancy (a word processor) is always hard to find when there is
a deadline? She is a loafer.” This is an example of:
a. deception.
b. regression.
c. civility.
d. labeling.
29. A defensive tactic used by an individual to manipulate and control others is:
a. a put-down.
b. a power play.
c. labeling.
d. insanity.
30. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of nondefensive communication and behavior?
a. Being informative
b. Being realistic
c. Being controlled
d. Being evasive
31. Which of the following statements is an example of nondefensive communication?
a. “Mary is always late to meetings.”
b. “I sent the memo through intracompany mail. They must have lost it.”
c. “I received the report from Dan yesterday and have briefly reviewed it. It looks good but I need to talk to
him about one recommendation before I approve it.”
d. “The check is in the mail. Don’t call me again.”
32. In which of the following communication situations can nonverbal communication be utilized?
a. Committee meeting
b. E–mail
c. Voice mail
d. Telephone call
33. Friends typically interact within one’s:
a. intimate space.
b. personal distance zone.
c. social distance zone.
d. public distance zone.
34. Seating arrangements and dynamics can be examined in a(n) study.
a. paralanguage
b. proxemics
c. kinesics
d. attitude
35. You are chairing quality circle meetings with your employees and want to maximize opportunities for all to speak
and contribute. The seating arrangement and table shape to accomplish this should be:
a. square.
b. round.
c. oblong.
d. rectangular.
36. Which of the following seating arrangements would be most appropriate to facilitate direct and open communication
with a person?
a. Seating the other person beside you, facing the same direction
b. Seating the other person in a place where you will be at right angles
c. Seating the other person directly across from you
d. Seating the person inside your intimate space zone
37. Americans generally do not like to communicate with their business associates within their:
a. social distance.
b. personal distance.
c. intimate distance.
d. public distance.
38. The study of an individual’s perception and use of space, including territorial space, is called .
a. proxemics
b. kinesics
c. spatial differentiation
d. paralanguage
39. In nonverbal communication, the study of body movements, including posture, is known as .
a. kinesics
b. proxemics
c. paralanguage
d. posturics
40. In the context of nonverbal communication,
tone, duration, laughing, and crying.
a. paralanguage
b. proxemics
c. kinesics
d. polyphasic activity
consists of variations in speech, such as pitch, loudness, tempo,
41. Positive, healthy communication is achieved when:
a. there is a balance between the head and the heart.
b. a person displays positive emotional competence and has a healthy conversation between thoughts and
feelings.
c. working together is taken for its interpersonal and intrapersonal meaning.
d. all of the above.
42. At the core of personal integrity as displayed by executives is:
a. positive, healthy communication.
b. kinesics.
c. proxemics.
d. defensive communication.
43. Personal integrity in positive, healthy communication is achieved through:
a. morality.
b. leadership.
c. communicative disease.
d. emotional competence.
44. Studies have shown that using computer-mediated communication tends to result in an increase in .
a. depression
b. stress
c. flaming
d. proxemic behavior
45. Computer-aided communications systems (e–mail, intranet for example) encourage all of the following except:
a. flaming or rude communication.
b. fast, immediate access to information and absence of nonverbal cues.
c. overloading of information.
d. significant disparities in participation levels of persons within a group.