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CHAPTER 2: Listening and Speaking in a Democratic Society
Multiple-Choice Questions
1. The true value of a speech must be judged by the __________.
A) degree of adaptation exhibited by the speaker
B) setting, which influences audience response
C) outcome for the speaker and the listeners
D) minimization of noise during the presentation
2. In his groundbreaking book The Process of Communication, scholar David Berlo argued that
all communication, including public speaking, should be viewed as a __________.
A) process
B) game of wits
C) linear activity
D) means of self-promotion
3. When we view the speaker and listener as exchanging messages and negotiating meanings,
we have adopted a view of communication that is known as a __________.
A) transactional model
B) linear model
C) passive model
D) nonverbal model
4. __________ refers to any interference that distorts or interrupts message flow.
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A) Feedback
B) Noise
C) Nonverbals
D) Context
5. During a question-and-
members stated their disagreement with her position regarding a military draft, suggesting that
an all-volunteer system supplied adequate numbers and promoted quality. How should we
regard this disagreement?
A) Democracy is threatened when citizens become critical of their elected leaders.
B) The exchange is an opportunity to contemplate new information and perspectives.
C) The senator had failed to adequately research her audience and adapt to them.
D)
6. Viewed as a transactional process, public speaking __________.
A) is something a speaker does to an audience
B) ensures, ultimately, that groupthink can occur
C) depends on the active participation of the audience
D) removes the need for further deliberation or exchange
7. The candidate listened to the young widow note how she alone must care for two children,
without child care, and while working a minimum wage job. The candidate responded,
for you. Raising children is never easy, but you face even greater challenges and difficulties.
Clearly, we must provide more help for people in your situation. Thank you for sharing your
idow
indicate what sort of listening?
A) listening for appreciation
B) empathic listening
C) informational listening
D) critical listening
8. Empathic listening is defined as __________.
A) listening with the goal of detecting what is being emphasized
B) providing cues to the speaker to speed up their delivery
C) listening with the goal of showing understanding and support
D)
9. When an audience member listens with the purpose of analyzing and evaluating ideas and
information, he or she is engaging in __________ listening.
A) empathic
B) informational
C) critical
D) appreciative
10. When an audience member listens with the hope to learn or expand her or his knowledge of
a particular subject, she or he is engaging in __________ listening.
A) empathic
B) informational
C) critical
D) appreciative
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11. Students who are good listeners __________.
A) are often less willing to change their minds once they are made up
B) habitually irritate classmates by being too inquisitive
C) frequently irritate classmates by being too talkative
D) usually perform better in their classes
12. should avoid __________.
A) communicating a desire for dialogue and collaboration
B) communicating a sense of healthy suspicion in this era of widespread fraud
C) demonstrating our faith in the democratic process
D) demonstrating our conviction that every citizen deserves a respectful hearing
13. What is the relationship between listening and speaking?
A) They are virtually unrelated, as one involves message generation and the other involves
message reception.
B) One can more easily improve speaking skills than listening skills.
C) One can more easily improve listening skills than speaking skills.
D) Listening carefully to others provides insights for effective speaking.
14. Shalla stays well informed on current events and issues. What impact will this have on her
ability to listen effectively?
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A) It will impact her ability negatively, as she will become more prone to daydream about
tangential matters rather than listen.
B) It will impact her ability positively, as she can better assess the quality of the message and
pose thoughtful questions.
C) It will essentially have no impact since what she will encounter in a speech is different than
what she will encounter in media reports.
D) It will impact her ability negatively, as she will be less inclined to listen to others due to
thinking that she is sufficiently informed already.
15. The burden for effective communication is __________.
A) primarily the responsibility of the speaker
B) primarily the responsibility of the listener
C) equally shared by speaker and listener
D) primarily the responsibility of those skilled in communication
16. Kaitlyn blamed the speaker for her boredom during the speech and for her inability to listen
because the speech was so dull. Kaitlyn has displayed what line of reasoning?
A) the passivity syndrome
B) the process perspective
C) listening critically
D) mental argument
17. Iain is running for the U.S. Congress as a Green Party candidate. During a local debate he
shares the stage with a Republican and a Democrat. When it is his turn to speak about job
creation, Penny (who is attending the event) expects him to advocate a number of ideas with
which she will disagree. As he begins to speak, he notes how advances in technology make
green energy jobs in wind and solar an already thriving area of growth with a promising future.
Immediately, Penny begins to contemplate a counterargument, believing he likely is against
coal and oil, about -of-the-above a
Penny’s listening in this situation?
A) It is fine. She has a right to react to what Ian is saying and to prepare for the discussion
following the speech.
B) Penny needs to suspend judgment, listen to the complete message, and avoid rebutting
remarks until he is finished.
C) Penny appears to be a passive listener, and will need to devote more effort to listening to this
speech.
D) Penny has failed to understand whom Ian is addressing with his remarks.
18. Jan goes to hear a speaker who is addressing problems with the economy. Because the
speaker is a Republican and Jan is a Democrat, she expects him to advocate a number of ideas
with which she will disagree. As he begins to speak, he makes a point that Jan considers
questionable. Immediately, Jan begins to contemplate a counterargument. How would you
assess Jan’s listening in this situation?
A) It is fine. She has a right to react to what the speaker is saying and to prepare for the
discussion following the speech.
B) Jan needs to suspend judgment, listen to the complete message, and avoid rebutting the
C) Jan appears to be a passive listener and will need to devote more effort to listening to this
speech.
D) Jan has failed to understand whom the speaker is addressing with his remarks.
19. Diane listened as David James and Regina Miller, two candidates for Congress, explained
their campaign platform. Following their remarks, Diane decided which candidate would get her
vote in November. As an ethical listener, which of the following variables should have helped
Diane make her decision?
A) each speaker s ability to deliver his or her message conversationally
B) t
C) h
D) how closely each candidate appeared to be connected to political forces in Washington
20. Terry thought he was listening to his professor
10 minutes into class he suddenly realized he was thinking about how he would like to get a
fireplace insert so he could heat his home effectively and efficiently. When he refocused his
inattention should be attributed to __________.
A)
B) a lack of personal effort to overcome a short attention span
C) the human ability to recall only half of what has been said after a speech
D) the absence of highlighted information about what will be on the test
21. Bo is having a hard time concentrating on what a speaker is saying. The speaker, a man with
a beard and ponytail, wearing sandals, is addressing City Council on the issue of whether the
city should decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. Based on what you know
about the speaker and the topic, Bo might be suffering from what kind of listening problem?
A) the tendency to stereotype
B) a short attention span
C) the passivity syndrome
D) mental games
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22. Jake is from a neighborhood known for its gang activity. His father is in prison. Knowing
stereotyped him in this
way, what do scholars ?
A) He will recognize their foolishness and simply dismiss their remarks.
B) His performance will suffer, as will his health and self-esteem.
C) He will likely not be affected since his classmates are not his reference group.
D) His performance will improve, as will his health and self-esteem.
23. Belle attends a university where most students come from low– or middle-income
households and work part-
and her hair and nails are always nicely manicured. Seeing this, her classmates label her a
stereotyped her in this way, what do scholars find will
?
A) She will recognize their foolishness and simply dismiss their remarks.
B) Her performance will suffer, as will her health and self-esteem.
C) She will likely not be affected since her classmates are not her reference group.
D) Her performance will improve, as will her health and self-esteem.
24. The careful listener will note that his or her initial impression of a speaker is likely based
A) announced topic
B) announced purpose
C) physical appearance
D) mental argument
25. From the choices below, identify the qualities of a good listener.
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A) attempts to minimize distractions and provides nonverbal feedback to the speaker during a
speech
B) e , and provides nonverbal
feedback to the speaker during a speech
C) e , and holds the speaker
responsible for effective communication
D) attempts to minimize distractions and holds the speaker responsible for effective
communication
26. Liam is scheduled to attend a presentation regarding food waste and its environmental
harms. He has done some background reading on the subject and has formulated some tentative
questions for the speaker. By doing so, Liam has __________.
A) enhanced his ability to be an informed listener
B) decreased his ability to listen without bias
C) increased the likelihood he will stereotype the speaker
D) decreased the likelihood he can remain focused on the speech
27. When the presidential candidates debate in a town hall setting covered by all major
networks during prime time who constitutes their target audience?
A) the citizens assembled in the studio audience
B) the network producers and the sponsors of the event
C) the other candidates they are debating on stage
D) the viewing audience watching them on TV
28. According to some researchers, at what point do we typically process most of the ideas and
information gathered while listening to a speech?
A) during the introduction of the speech, as the speaker provides a preview
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B) during the body of the speech, as each fact and example is presented
C) a
D) a
29. Rob had long believed that public schools had no business teaching courses in religion. He
suspends judgment, though, while attending a speech by a teacher who advocates that courses in
the Old and New Testaments of the Bible should be taught. After listening to her presentation
and responses during the question-and-answer session that followed, he began to think such
courses could be appropriate in a public school setting because they help promote cultural
A) how most citizens cannot think critically and act responsibly
B) how when we avoid mental argument we risk being too easily swayed
C) that he has not met his civic duty to hold firm to and defend his principles
D) that he has been a good critical listener by listening open-mindedly before judging
30. Matt believed a policy of preemptive military strike was a good deterrent against any who
would make war against his country. He suspends judgment, though, while listening to experts
debate the issue. By the end of the debate, Matt began to think that the policy might not be so
action illustrates __________.
A) how most citizens cannot think critically and act responsibly
B) how when we avoid mental argument we risk being too easily swayed
C) that he has not met his civic duty to hold firm to and defend his principles
D) that he has been a good critical listener by listening open-mindedly before judging
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reaffirmed their perceptions of her competence as a thinker and communicator and that she had
taken them and her topic seriously. Jo enjoys a favorable __________ with her listeners.
A) logos
B) pathos
C) ethos
D) adaptation
32. In light of what he saw during a summer job at a meat packing house, Lyle believes that the
meat industry is cruel and inhumane. He would like to research the matter further and address it
in an upcoming speech, but he knows that most of his classmates regularly eat meat. He does
not want to alienate his listeners, but he believes the matter is one they should contemplate.
What should he do?
A) s
B) not pursue the topic since he will deliberately alienate his audience
C) pursue the topic, providing strong evidence and argument, presented respectfully
D) pursue a related topic, such as the presence of steroids in our food chain
33. On the day Tia is to speak against the use of animals for testing cosmetics, she learns that a
major cosmetic company has decided to discontinue using animals for testing. What should Tia
do, given this new development?
A).address it during her presentation since listeners likely will be aware of it and will be
listening for what she has to say about it
B) ignore this new information because her speech is already written and because other
companies continue to use animals for testing
C) ignore this new information because it might weaken the impact of her speech and make her
look foolish
D) drop the prepared speech and present an impromptu speech on another topic she knows a lot
about
34. Kris grew up on a farm. In a persuasive speech to classmates, she wanted to prove that
fanatical environmentalists exaggerate the dangers from pesticides and other chemicals. During
elevated levels in the blood and urine of persons living near chemically treated fields. She
learned, furthermore, that the chemicals can lead to various physical ailments and diseases. In
light of these findings, how should Kris proceed?
A) abandon the topic since she can no longer effectively argue her original view
B) continue searching for material that supports her view, and ignore all other research
C) d
D) continue researching, open to the possibility she may need to change her position
35.
said. It also makes clear to them how everything in the speech fits together, it points to a desired
A) suitable language
B) a logical pattern
C) temporal context
D) a process perspective
True/False Questions
36. To be an effective speaker, you must respect your li
37. Public speaking is a way of promoting the common good.
38.
message.
39. Experts attribute our apparent inability to pay attention to a speech for longer than 12 or 15
minutes at a time to our genetic preprogramming.
40. Geoff is listening to a speaker address the issue of safety for race car drivers. Geoff is
having a hard time taking her seriously because she does not look like the kind of person who
has ever raced a car. This is an example of how stereotyping can interfere with the ability to be
an engaged listener.
41. By carefully contemplating what you bring to a speaking situation and who you are in
relation to it, you can eliminate any biases you may have toward the speaker.
42. If you, as a listener, want to better follow a speech, remember what was said, and analyze
what was said, research suggests you should engage in mental argument during the speech,
ideas.
43.
intelligence, and motive.
44. Chandra is to deliver a short speech tomorrow introducing herself to her classmates. To help
her audience understand her remarks and find her more credible, Chandra should speak
dramatically, using big gestures and use lengthy pauses for impact.
45. Manuscript speaking involves careful preparation, but the presenter uses minimal notes and
a less formal, more direct, conversational style when speaking.
46. Audience adaptation is best described as telling them what you believe they want to hear.
47. If you want your listeners to see clearly how everything in your speech fits together and
points to a desirable response, and if you also want them to view you as credible and prepared,
you must format and present your speech using a logical pattern of organization.
Skill Level: Analyze It
Essay Questions
48. What are the components of effective listening? What are the positive outcomes of effective
listening for us, as individuals, and for society?
49.
should one take notes?
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50. How does viewing communication as a transactional process rather than a passive process
affect us as speakers? How would viewing it as a transactional process help us both prepare and
deliver a speech?
51. How does stereotyping differ from adapting to your audience? How can you adapt your
speech to fit the needs of your audience without stereotyping them?
