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Indicate the answer choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
1. True or false? Listening to messages in different context often requires more effort.
a.
True
b.
False
2. True or false? Defensive listeners are considered to be highly focused and effective because they take in all of
the relevant information before critiquing it and then offer a response.
a.
True
b.
False
3. While watching two politicians debate on TV, you listen to both points of view in order to take in and
organize the information before attempting to discern fact from opinion. This is called:
a.
critical listening.
b.
relational listening.
c.
task-oriented listening.
d.
analytical listening.
4. You find yourself in a dilemma. You went to your sociology class so you could turn in your paper, but you
still need to do a final review for the Spanish test, which is your next class. You make eye contact and nod your
head while your sociology professor lectures, but instead of listening, you’re mentally reviewing Spanish
vocabulary words. We would characterize your listening behavior as:
a.
monopolistic listening.
b.
selective listening.
c.
pseudolistening.
d.
insensitive listening.
5. True or false? Questioning is considered to be an important aid to effective analytical listening.
a.
True
b.
False
6. True or false? Responding is an important part of the listening process.
a.
True
b.
False
7. True or false? A room that is too hot or cold may present environmental challenges that make it difficult for a
person to listen well.
a.
True
b.
False
8. True or false? If you grew up surrounded by environmental distractions, you may be better at multitasking
than people who did not grow up with such distractions.
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a.
True
b.
False
9. Dhruv and his roommate, Adrian, get into a minor disagreement over the charges on their bill for streaming
services they share. Dhruv is so certain that Adrian is trying to get out of paying for the movies he streamed that
he doesn’t even hear Adrian when he asks whether it’s possible Dhruv’s cousin ordered the movies when she
visited a few weeks earlier. We would characterize Dhruv’s listening behavior as:
a.
monopolistic listening.
b.
insensitive listening.
c.
biased listening.
d.
apprehensive listening.
10. Which step in the listening process refers to making sense of messages?
a.
selecting
b.
attending
c.
understanding
d.
responding
11. True or false? Listening is an involuntary passive activity.
a.
True
b.
False
12. Which is an effective way to show you have been listening and that you understand?
a.
mouthing along
b.
critiquing
c.
interrupting the speaker
d.
paraphrasing
13. True or false? Many people experience listening apprehension, a state of anxiety, fear, or dread associated
with listening, which can be a barrier to their communication competence.
a.
True
b.
False
14. True or false? Hearing and listening are distinctly different activities.
a.
True
b.
False
15. True or false? During a heart-to-heart conversation with a close friend, we would most likely be engaged in
critical listening.
a.
True
b.
False
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16. True or false? Analytical listening is used to investigate many ideas before making judgments.
a.
True
b.
False
17. True or false? Hearing ability naturally declines with age.
a.
True
b.
False
18. True or false? Active listeners are considered by others to be more competent communicators overall.
a.
True
b.
False
19. True or false? Poor listening behaviors can make an individual less attractive and may reduce the chances
that their partner will make self-disclosures.
a.
True
b.
False
20. True or false? Preferences for how listeners should behave and respond vary according to culture.
a.
True
b.
False
21. True or false? In Western cultures, listening is viewed as more powerful than talking.
a.
True
b.
False
22. True or false? It is possible for those who are deaf to listen.
a.
True
b.
False
23. The type of listening that would be MOST important for you to use if a salesperson is trying to sell you a car
at a dealership would be:
a.
analytical listening.
b.
relational listening.
c.
critical listening.
d.
task-oriented listening.
24. While talking on the phone with your friend, you are confronted with competing stimuli of your dormitory,
including the sounds of the television and your roommates playing a game in the common room. You choose to
pay attention to the sound of your friend’s voice over the other sounds. This process is referred to as:
a.
selecting.
b.
attending.
c.
hearing.
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d.
understanding.
25. True or false? Listening mistakes result in millions of dollars in losses for U.S. businesses every year.
a.
True
b.
False
26. True or false? Critical thinking is an essential component of relational listening.
a.
True
b.
False
27. True or false? Listening is one of the most important skills career-wise.
a.
True
b.
False
28. After a long and disappointing day at work, Jackie vents her frustration to her romantic partner. “I can’t
believe I worked so hard for so long on this proposal and I’m not even going to get the chance to present it. I’ll
get no credit at all.” Instead of hearing the frustration and hurt in her voice, Jackie’s partner only hears the
problem. Instead of offering support, her partner says, “Next time, you ought to get it in writing in advance that
you’ll get to make the pitch.” We would characterize her partner’s listening behavior as:
a.
monopolistic listening.
b.
selective listening.
c.
pseudolistening.
d.
insensitive listening.
29. True or false? Critical listening is used to make light of a speaker’s style.
a.
True
b.
False
30. True or false? Women report experiencing less listening apprehension than men.
a.
True
b.
False
31. Which statement is true of traditionally masculine and feminine listening behaviors according to the
research cited in the textbook?
a.
Men are less likely to respond publicly with intense emotion.
b.
Men are more likely to nod and smile while listening.
c.
Men are more likely to offer verbal encouragers like “Really?” or “Go on.”
d.
Men are more likely to engage in pseudolistening behaviors.
32. True or false? Although it is common and sometimes beneficial to us, selective listening can also be
considered an unethical communication behavior in some contexts.
a.
True
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b.
False
33. True or false? Attacking means to listen specifically to find weaknesses in others and pull those weaknesses
out at strategic or embarrassing times.
a.
True
b.
False
34. Which statement is TRUE of listening barriers?
a.
People who are deaf are unable to listen.
b.
Your hearing remains the same as you age.
c.
Multitasking interferes with listening.
d.
It’s easier to listen when the subject is uninteresting.
35. The part of the listening process in which the listener focuses attention on a particular message or sound is
referred to as:
a.
selecting.
b.
attending.
c.
understanding.
d.
remembering.
36. The process of making guesses about your romantic partner’s thoughts and feelings and then rephrasing
what you think they said is referred to as:
a.
echoing.
b.
paraphrasing.
c.
critical thinking.
d.
mind reading.
37. The physiological process of perceiving sound is BEST associated with which term?
a.
listening
b.
hearing
c.
attending
d.
selecting
38. Ally just discovered that her mother has been diagnosed with cancer. Jodie let Ally talk about her feelings in
order to understand how she feels. Jodie is engaged in which type of listening?
a.
relational
b.
task oriented
c.
critical
d.
analytical
39. True or false? Competent communication requires an ability to adapt one’s listening style to meet the
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context.
a.
True
b.
False
40. True or false? Confabulation is making up facts to cover up or mask one’s defensiveness.
a.
True
b.
False
41. In what ways do people from different cultures listen differently? Considering what you have learned about
high-context cultures and low-context cultures in Chapter 6, what connections can you infer about the cultural
differences between verbal and nonverbal behavior and listening behaviors?
42. What are the goals of analytical, critical, and relational listening? What, specifically, can a listener do to
improve their ability to meet each of these listening goals?
43. Provide an example of a defensive listening behavior.
44. Provide an example of an environmental factor that you consider a listening barrier in this classroom.
45. Compare and contrast the four listening goals. In what types of contexts would each style be particularly
effective and appropriate?
46. What listening behaviors would you characterize as unethical? Synthesizing what you know about ethics
and the transactional nature of communication, explain why these behaviors would be characterized as unethical
and not merely ineffective.
47. How does listening differ in mediated contexts versus face-to-face interactions? Synthesizing what you
learned about how to listen well to accomplish each of the four listening goals, as well as how to overcome
various listening barriers, what advice would you give to someone who wants to improve their listening ability
communicating through technology?
48. Explain the concept of critical listening. How does one go about thinking critically in the role of a listener?
49. Briefly describe a situation in which you or someone you knew were required to engage in relational
listening. What strategies discussed in the text did you or could you have used?
50. Define critical listening.
51. Describe the difference between attacking and ambushing.
52. How does gender influence listening behaviors? Synthesizing what you have learned about gender in this
and other chapters of the book, what do you think is at the root of these differences?
53. Describe the five steps in the cognitive and behavioral components of the listening process. Using a detailed
narrative example, illustrate what a communicator would be doing at each of the five stages.
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54. Briefly describe the differences between hearing and listening.
55. How does boredom affect our ability to listen effectively?
56. How does improving our listening competence benefit us academically, professionally, and interpersonally?
57. What does it mean to paraphrase as a listening behavior? In what ways might you use this to achieve
listening goals?
58. List the three components of the listening process.
59. Briefly discuss the role of listening in the healthcare industry and the importance of competent
communication between healthcare professionals and patients. What can happen when a patient does not listen
carefully to the healthcare provider, or vice versa?
60. Describe environmental and biological barriers to effective listening. What would you advise someone who
is challenged by any of these specific barriers to do in order to improve their listening competence?
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