Instructor Resource
Duck, Communication in Everyday Life: The Basic Course Edition With Public
Speaking, 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
Chapter 11: Interviewing
Test Bank
Multiple Choice
1. Which of the following is a function of a cover letter?
a. To note one’s career objective
b. To request an interview
c. To list experiences
d. To list activities
2. Which of the following is an accurate statement about interviews?
a. Interviews are goal driven.
b. Interviews are greed driven.
c. Interviews should be threatening.
d. Interviews are used only when seeking employment.
3. According to the chapter, interviews are usually unbalanced in which of the following
ways?
a. An interviewer will speak for 40% of the time, and an interviewee will speak for 60%
of the time.
b. An interviewer will speak for 80% of the time, and an interviewee will speak for 20%
of the time.
c. An interviewer will speak for 30% of the time, and an interviewee will speak for 70%
of the time.
d. An interviewer will speak for 70% of the time, and an interviewee will speak for 30%
of the time.
4. Interviews that occur when a person chooses to leave a place of employment are
called ______.
a. performance interviews
b. employment interviews
c. exit interviews
d. helping interviews
5. Interviews that have influence as the ultimate goal, such as the interviewer appearing
to be gaining information but is actually attempting to influence the thoughts or actions
of the interviewee, are known as ______.
a. helping interviews
b. exit interviews
c. informative interviews
d. persuasive interviews
6. Which of the following would be a pre-interview responsibility of both the interviewer
and the interviewee?
a. Practicing
b. Beginning on time
c. Preparing questions/answers to questions
d. Reviewing application materials
7. With regard to personal appearance for an interview, an interviewee should ______.
a. dress according to the position for which she or he is interviewing
b. dress in the most comfortable clothes he or she owns
c. overdress rather than not be dressed up enough
d. underdress rather than try to look too dressed up
8. The chapter suggests that the proper action to take prior to an interview is to ______.
a. turn your cell phone to “ringer off”
b. turn your cell phone completely off
c. turn your cell phone to “vibrate”
d. tell anyone who calls during the interview that you will call them back shortly
9. With regard to greeting and establishing appropriate proxemics, the chapter suggests
that ______.
a. if the interview takes place in an office, always knock and wait for permission to enter
before entering, unless the door is open
b. if the interview takes place in an office, stand outside without saying anything until the
interviewer comes to get you
c. if the interview takes place in an office, always knock and wait for permission to enter
before entering, even if the door is open
d. if the interview takes place in an office and the door is open, walk in and sit in the
chair closest to the door
10. When addressing the interviewer face-to-face, it is best to address the interviewer
using ______.
a. his or her last name and a formal or professional title
b. his or her first name in order to set a friendly tone
c. “hey” or “you” in order to maintain a professional distance
d. “dude” so he or she knows you are not pretentious
11. “Tell about a time you worked on a team project” is which type of question?
a. Bipolar
b. Closed
c. Open
d. Unipolar
12. “What did you dislike about your previous supervisor?” is which type of question?
a. Bipolar
b. Closed
c. Leading
d. Mirroring
13. Which of the following would be an illegal interview question?
a. Why did you leave your last job?
b. What does your husband think about you working here?
c. What do you think your old boss would tell me if I asked for a reference?
d. Are you of legal age to work here?
14. Which of the following would be a legal interview question?
a. Who will watch your children while you work?
b. Do you want to have children some day?
c. Do you belong to the local Elks lodge?
d. Do you have reliable transportation to get to work each shift?
15. Which of the following is suggested in the chapter regarding the answering of
common questions?
a. When asked to describe yourself during an interview, you should talk about your
astrological sign, favorite restaurants, achievements in youth sports, or high school
prom theme, in order to establish a relaxed transactional climate.
b. When asked about your greatest weaknesses, you should make up a fake weakness
so you have something to say when asked.
c. When asked, “Why do you want to work here?” you should address the issue of
desired salary and benefits at that time.
d. When asked, “What is your ideal job?” you should play it safe and simply describe
attributes of an ideal position.
16. A phrase indicating the beginning of the conclusion of the interview is known as a
______.
a. quitting-time signal
b. stoppage
c. wrap-up signal
d. concluder
17. Which of the following is a post-interview responsibility of the interviewer?
a. Send a follow-up letter
b. Assess the interview
c. Assess personal performance
d. Avoid irritating the other interviewers
18. Which of the following is a post-interview responsibility of the interviewee?
a. Send a follow-up letter
b. Assess the candidate
c. Assess personal performance
d. Contact other interviewees
19. Questions that introduce new topics during an interview are ______.
a. mirror questions
b. probing questions
c. secondary questions
d. primary questions
20. Follow-up questions asked when seeking elaboration or further information are
______questions.
a. mirror
b. probing
c. secondary
d. primary
21. Brief statements or words that urge an interviewee to continue or to elaborate on a
response are ______questions.
a. mirror
b. probing
c. secondary
Instructor Resource
Duck, Communication in Everyday Life: The Basic Course Edition With Public
Speaking, 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
d. primary
22. Questions that paraphrase an interviewee’s previous response to ensure
clarification and to elicit elaboration are ______questions.
a. mirror
b. probing
c. secondary
d. primary
23. Questions that enable and prompt interviewees to answer in a wide range of ways
are ______questions.
a. mirror
b. probing
c. open
d. primary
24. Questions that limit the range of an interviewee’s response are ______questions.
a. secondary
b. neutral
c. bipolar
d. closed
25. Questions that forces an interviewee to select one of two responses are
______questions.
a. secondary
b. neutral
c. bipolar
d. closed
26. Questions that provide an interviewee with no indication of a preferred way to
respond are ______questions.
a. secondary
b. neutral
c. bipolar
d. closed
Multiple Response
1. SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following are functions of a résumé?
a. To present your experiences and credentials for a position
b. To make clear how much the organization can help your career
c. To offer a summation of your skills
d. To summarize your qualifications for a specific position
2. SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following are suggested ways to adjust the
frame of the interview?
a. Frame the interview as a performance in which you are acting out and displaying your
best attributes.
Instructor Resource
Duck, Communication in Everyday Life: The Basic Course Edition With Public
Speaking, 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
b. Frame the interview as an opportunity rather than a test.
c. Frame the interview as a learning experience rather than a demonstration.
d. Frame the interview as a dialogue rather than a monologue.
3. SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following are unique characteristics of
interviews?
a. Structured
b. Balanced
c. Question-answer
d. Controlled
4. SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. When people think of interviews, an employment
interview is probably what comes to mind. Which of the following are types of interviews
that often are not related to jobs or employment?
a. Persuasive interviews
b. Helping Interviews
c. Performance interviews
d. Problem-solving interviews
5. SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following are among the six steps an
interviewer must do during the conclusion of an interview?
a. Summarize the interview
b. Provide a wrap-up signal
c. Ask for questions
d. Offer thanks
6. SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following are among the five steps an
interviewee must do during the conclusion of an interview?
a. Summarize the interview
b. Ask questions
c. Offer thanks
d. Inquire about the future schedule
7. SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. When an interviewer reviews and records his or her
evaluation of a job candidate after an interview, which among the following are some of
the questions that should be asked?
a. Did the candidate ask any illegal questions?
b. How does the candidate compare with other candidates?
c. How knowledgeable about the position and the organization does the candidate
seem?
d. How would the candidate fit with the organization’s climate?
8. SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following are considered “common sense”
elements to constructing a quality cover letter or résumé?
a. Start your cover letter with a funny story about a friend or member of your family
b. Do not use exotic fonts or layouts
c. Make the reader’s job easier by writing clearly and understandably
d. Make sure the font size is big enough for a person to read without the need of a
magnifying glass
True/False
1. A résumé is defined as a goal-driven transaction characterized by questions and
answers, clear structure, control, and imbalance.
2. A cover letter should compel the reader to read your résumé.
3. It is permissible to address a cover letter “To Whom It May Concern.”
4. Some jobs demand certain abilities or requirements, known as bona fide occupational
qualifications.
5. Bipolar questions force an interviewee to select one of two responses.
6. Performance reviews are also known as exit interviews.
7. Mirror questions paraphrase an interviewee’s previous response to ensure
clarification and to elicit elaboration.
8. Open questions are those that enable and prompt interviewees to answer “yes” or
Short Answer
1. Name one of the strategies an interviewee can use to handle an illegal question
during an employment interview?
2. Explain why it is important for an interviewee to have questions prepared to ask
during the interview?
3. Name two of the three tasks that an interviewer should complete after conducting an
interview?
4. What type of interview is best when you seek to influence the thoughts or actions of
another person, such as when a salesperson asks your opinion about a product or
service in such a way as to make you want to purchase?
5. If you have responded to surveys or perhaps responded to a doctor asking you about
your symptoms during an office visit, you have experienced what type of interview?
6. Name at least two of the responsibilities an interviewee must fulfill after an
employment interview.
7. A study conducted by Lois Einhorn about lessons learned from successful and
unsuccessful interviewees offered six categories of measurement. Name at least two of
those categories.