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Guerrero, Close Encounters, 6e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
Chapter 1: Conceptualizing Relational Communication: Definitions and
Principles
Test Bank
Multiple Choice
1. According to research cited in the text, when people interact with others, the
most common topics involve ______.
A. the weather, current events, and work
B. movies, pets, and activities
C. relationship problems, sex, family, and romantic partners
D. politics and religion
2. Research on interpersonal communication began contributing to the study of
personal relationships in the ______.
A. 1920s and 1930s
B. 1940s and 1950s
C. 1960s and 1970s
D. 1980s and 1990s
3. According to the textbook, the study of interpersonal communication emerged
as one of the primary emphases in the communication discipline because of the
______.
A. baby boom that followed the end of World War II
B. realization that relational development and communication share a symbiotic
relationship
C. hippie movement in the 1960s
D. publishing of John Gray’s Men Are From Mars and Women Are From Venus
4. The first journal dedicated solely to the study of interpersonal relationships is
titled ______.
A. The Journal of Social and Personal Relationships
B. Interpersonal Communication Monographs
C. Personal Relationships
D. Social Monographs
5. The two fields that have contributed most to the study of personal relationships
are ______.
A. social psychology and sociology
B. social psychology and communication
C. communication and family studies
D. family studies and sociology
6. Close relationships satisfy interpersonal needs. The three most central needs
are ______.
A. security, food, and self-actualization
B. attractiveness, sense of humor, and a good personality
C. affection, social inclusion, and behavioral control
D. attachment, behavioral interdependence, and challenge
7. Close relationships are defined by ______.
A. sexual activity only
B. romantic attachment and sexual activity only
Guerrero, Close Encounters, 6e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
C. behavioral interdependence, repeated interaction, emotional attachment, and
needed fulfillment
D. the presence of any kind of physical contact
8. The most basic requirement for defining all types of relationships is that people
share ______.
A. repeated interaction
B. some level of behavioral interdependence
C. some level of emotional attachment
D. a unique pattern of communication
9. There are three overriding sets of goals that people strive for in relationships. If
you are interested in obtaining a letter of recommendation from one of your
professors, you have to communicate your wishes to your professor and explain
why and how the letter will help you. In doing this, you would be attempting to
fulfill which of the following sets of goals?
A. relational
B. self-presentational
Guerrero, Close Encounters, 6e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
C. instrumental
D. social
10. If you are interested in obtaining a letter of recommendation from one of your
professors, you have to communicate your wishes to your professor and explain
why and how the letter will help you. If you spend a large amount of time
preparing an e-mail request to ask for the letter of recommendation, you would
be attempting to fulfill ______.
A. relational goals
B. self-presentational goals
C. instrumental goals
D. social goals
11. Studies suggest that approximately ______ of the meaning of a given
interaction is interpreted from nonverbal behavior.
A. 10–15%
B. 20–25%
C. 60–65%
Guerrero, Close Encounters, 6e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
D. 90–95%
12. Which of the following conditions defines behavior's relationship to
communication?
A. All behavior is communication.
B. Behavior is communication if it is sent without intent.
C. Behavior is communication if it is interpreted by a receiver.
D. Behavior is communication if it goes unnoticed by the receiver.
13. Isabel stands at the foot of the stairs and yells “dinner’s ready” to her kids
who are upstairs. However, her kids do not hear her because they are both
listening to their iPods. This is an example of ______.
A. unattended behavior
B. attempted communication
C. miscommunication
D. accidental communication
14. Marcia is nervous when an attractive man approaches her and says “hello.”
She tries to hide her anxiety, but the man notices that she is a bit fidgety and
figures out that she is nervous. This is an example of ______.
A. unattended behavior
B. attempted communication
C. miscommunication
D. accidental communication
15. Late one Friday afternoon, the person you are dating calls and asks, “So,
what are we doing tonight?” You interpret this question as good thing and realize
you have a partner who is always there for you. This refers to the ______ level of
the message.
A. content
B. relational
C. report
D. philosophical
16. Which of the following is the best example of symmetrical message
exchange?
A. Brent says “I love you,” and Carrie says “That’s nice.”
B. Jessica says “Do you want to go to the movies?” and Veronica says, “No,
thanks.”
C. Keisha touches Jamal 5 times, whereas Jamal only touches Keisha once.
D. Tom says, “Take out the trash,” and Jake says, “Take it out yourself.”
17. A smile from your significant other sends a different message to you than a
smile from a stranger. A secret your best friend tells you means something
different than a disclosure from a stranger on a plane. The principle that explains
these interactions is that relationships ______.
A. emerge through ongoing interactions
B. contextualize messages
C. are asymmetrical or symmetrical
D. have a task and social orientation
18. The distinction between romantic versus nonromantic relationships is based
on ______.
A. whether people define themselves as a couple
B. whether two people have sex
C. the degree to which two people are close on an emotional level
D. how committed two people are to the relationship
19. What does the term gender refer to?
A. biological differences between females and males
B. culturally constructed images of men and women as masculine or feminine
C. the degree to which individuals are androgynous
D. the combination of sexual and personal identity
20. Relationships that are characterized by genetic relatedness are usually
characterized as ______.
Guerrero, Close Encounters, 6e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
A. involuntary
B. voluntary
C. traditional
D. nontraditional
21. The term proxemics refers to ______.
A. the use of touch
B. body movement, including posture, eye behavior, and facial expression
C. the use of space, including conversational distances and territory
D. physical attributes such as height, weight, and attractiveness
22. The term kinesics refers to ______.
A. the use of touch
B. physical attributes such as height, weight, and attractiveness
C. the use of space, including conversational distances and territory
D. body movement, including posture, eye behavior, and facial expression
Guerrero, Close Encounters, 6e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
23. The two primary relational messages or fundamental themes that
characterize a relationship are the ______.
A. level of intimacy and dominance/submission
B. task–social orientation and degree of social composure
C. formality–informality and degree of social composure
D. level of emotional arousal and dominance/submission
24. Most relationships include relational communication that ______.
A. primarily follows a linear pattern
B. primarily follows a nonlinear pattern
C. primarily follows a curvilinear pattern
D. follows both linear and nonlinear patterns
25. In the 1970s, Berscheid and Walster got “fleeced” by the U.S. Senate and
criticized because they were studying ______.
A. sex
B. prostitution
C. love
D. children
True/False
1. The idea that relational communication is dynamic means that communication
reflects the changing nature of relationships.
2. Interpersonal communication consists mainly of verbal messages.
3. The formal study of personal relationships is a fairly recent phenomenon.
4. Dominance is traditionally communicated verbally.
5. For relational growth to produce lasting, positive results, it needs to be linear.
6. The study of personal relationships is taught solely in communication
departments.
Guerrero, Close Encounters, 6e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
7. Interpersonal communication contains both content and relational information.
8. Relationships emerge across ongoing interactions.
9. Two thirds of Facebook subscribers check their Facebook site every day.
10. The majority of people today meet their future spouse on the Internet or an
Internet dating site.
11. According to Guerrero et al. and Watzlawick et al., one cannot not
communicate in face-to-face settings.
12. Self-presentational goals relate to the image we want others to convey.
Essay
1. Why are personal relationships important? What role does communication play
in such a definition?
2. Explain the stages in the history of the study of interpersonal relationships
research. What other disciplines had an influence on the development of this
area of study?
3. In the 21st century, communication occurs in a variety of channels that utilize
technology. Think of all the ways you use technology to communicate with
Guerrero, Close Encounters, 6e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
people. Select three of them and discuss how they hurt and/or help you manage
your interpersonal relationships.
4. What is the difference between the content and relational communication of
messages? What kinds of messages are likely to contain each kind of
communication?
5. Define interpersonal communication. Compare and contrast it to relational
communication.
6. List and discuss four fundamental themes of relational communication.
