CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCING THE STUDY OF PUBLIC SPEAKING
True/False
T F 1. Successful communication requires only effective speaking skills.
T F 2. Senders can transmit and receive messages at the same time.
T F 3. Symbols refer to words, not gestures.
T F 4. Encoding combines the thought process and motor skill of the sender.
T F 5. A message is a series of unstructured symbols.
T F 6. Decoding is the reverse of the process which occurred to generate communication
within the sender.
T F 7. A channel refers to the means of transmitting messages.
T F 8. Feedback is necessary only to tell senders whether or not we liked the message.
T F 9. Listeners cannot send and receive messages at the same time.
T F 10. Feedback can only be positive and criticism can only be negative.
T F 11. The setting refers to environmental factors which support a speech, meaning just
the time and space.
T F 12. If the receiver is focused on the possibility that earlier in the day s/he did poorly
on a math exam, internal noise will probably get in the way of shared meaning.
T F 13. When the listener does not understand a word or symbol used by the sender,
semantic noise occurs.
T F 14. Communication among people tends to be static like a flat line.
T F 15. Symbols are just nonverbal cues that accompany words.
T F 16. Noise from a book falling to the classroom floor that only YOU can hear is
known as internal noise.
Multiple Choice
17. More recent theories of communication suggest that it is
a. Always changing.
b. Always developing.
c. Always growing.
d. All of the above.
e. None of the above.
18. Showing someone a map where your hometown is would be an example of
a. Noise.
b. Receiver.
c. A channel.
d. Decoding.
e. Semantics.
19. A speaker whose mind wanders during a speech is experiencing
a. external noise.
b. internal noise.
c. semantic noise.
d. all of the above.
e. none of the above.
20. A speaker who repeatedly bounces note cards on the lectern during a speech
contributes to
a. external noise.
b. internal noise.
c. semantic noise.
d. all of the above.
e. none of the above.
21. Which of the following was NOT included in the Shannon and Weaver model of
communication?
a. Receiver.
b. Message.
c. Source.
d. Channel.
e. Noise.
22. Shannon and Weaver’s communication model is best illustrated by a
a. circle
b. triangle
c. square
d. line
23. The communication process originates with
a. the receiver.
b. the sender.
c. decoding.
d. the message.
e. none of the above.
24. The process known as encoding refers to
a. transmitting communication.
b. organizing thoughts.
c. changing ideas, thoughts and feelings into symbols.
d. changing symbols into ideas.
25. An example of external noise in the speech setting would be
a. a listener worrying about an exam.
b. a speaker thinking about an appointment after the speech.
c. a blinking fluorescent light in the ceiling.
d. a word which a listener misunderstood.
26. Illness or fatigue are examples of
a. external noise.
b. internal noise.
c. semantic noise.
d. all of the above.
e. none of the above.
27. A speaker enters a carry-out shop and orders a “hero” from a surprised and confused
sandwich maker who replies, “This country doesn’t have many heroes any more.”
The speaker has just experienced
a. external noise.
b. internal noise.
c. semantic noise.
d. all of the above.
e. none of the above.
28. Feedback
a. provides dimension.
b. allows us to adapt to new circumstances.
c. circularizes communication.
d. all of the above.
e. none of the above.
Fill In The Blank
Essay Questions
35. Provide and discuss one example for how each of the components of a setting might
contribute to noise:
Occasion
Environment
Space
Time
36. Discuss why a circular model of communication is more realistic and more useful than a
linear model when studying communication.
37. Identify one life situation not mentioned in Chapter 1 which requires successful
communication skills. What specific skills must the speaker possess in order to
succeed? What types of skills are required of the listener?
Online Chapter Quiz Questions
Chapter 1
Introducing the Study of Public Speaking
True False
1. T F The modern communication model consists of only a sender and a receiver.
2. T F The setting of a speech includes the occasion of the presentation.
3. T F Noise refers exclusively to the external distractions around a speaker and an
audience such as a siren, dim lighting, or room temperature.
4. T F There are 3 channels available for transmitting a message to a receiver.
5. T F Communication is not complete unless there is a response to a message.
Multiple Choice
6. When the sender changes an idea-thought-feeling into an understandable symbol,
a. encoding is occurring.
b. decoding is occurring.
c. occasion is occurring.
d. noise is occurring.
7. An example of semantic noise would be a
a. bad headache
b. blinking light
c. language barrier
d. bad smell
8. An example of internal noise would be
a. a freezing room
b. a loud bang
c. worry about a speech
d. an unfamiliar accent
9. What does NOT describe the role of the sender in the communication process?
a. Senders can send and receive messages at the same time.
b. Senders can engage in actions that contribute to noise.
c. Senders can alter the setting of communication to support their messages.
d. Senders remain senders throughout the communication process.
10. Shannon and Weaver’s theory of communication has often been criticized for its lack
of flexibility because it uses
a. a flat line
b. a triangle
c. a circle
d. none of the above
Fill in the Blanks
Fill in the following blanks in the communication model:
The process of communication begins within the sender with a(n) 11._______________
that is encoded into 12.__________________. These are then organized into an
understandable message and transmitted by 13.___________________ to a
14.________________ who gets the symbols and 15._________________
into ideas, thoughts, and feelings. The response of the receiver to the sender is
known as 16. _________________.
Answers:
