practice speech test

According to the rule of division, in an outline, if you divide a point into subpoints, you must create at least ________ subpoints.

two

When considering your audience's size, in general it is important to remember that the ____________ the group, the more formally structured your presentation should be.

Larger

Levi is giving a persuasive speech on drunk driving. He knows that he must generate interest in the topic during his introduction, so he wants to have an effect with his opening statement. Which of the following opening statements would be the LEAST effective for Levi's speech?

A. Drunk driving is a serious problem in our country. I will share some stories with you today, some statistics, and some ways we can all work on this issue.

Which of the following statements has the MOST credibility?

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, 27 percent of high school students have smoked in the last 30 days.

What is the best strategy when dealing with a hostile audience?

Acknowledge the listener's feelings.

Calling President Bush and idiot and President Obama a moron is an example of a _______ fallacy.

Ad hominem

To consider the situation of your speaking engagement, which of the following would you consider about your audience?

Age

If someone is nervous while getting ready to give a speech, he or she is experiencing what kind of anxiety?

Anticipatory

If you say, "Actress Alicia Silverstone verifies that a vegetarian lifestyle is the healthiest way to live", you are using what type of fallacy?

Appeal to false authority

Before his death in 2009, Billy Mays was a famous television pitchman for household products such as Mighty Putty and Grater Plater. He was best known for his opening line, "Hi, Billy Mays here for..." What was Mays's primary goal in his commercials?

To persuade

When Barack Obama ran for the U.S. presidency in 2008, unprecedented crowds gathered to hear him speak. He was well known for slogans such as, "Yes, we can" and "Change we can believe in". When Obama rallied crowds with such statements, he was relying on which of the following to increase his credibility?

Charisma

If a professor seems organized, prepared, and professional, what is he or she demonstrating?

Competence

Trish loves using PowerPoint during presentations at work. She loves incorporating sound effects, fancy slide transitions, and moving graphics. However, she never seems to get good reviews on her speeches from her boss. Instead, he complains that he finds her PowerPoints to be distracting and that he has a hard time learning during her speeches. What guideline should Trish consider before preparing her next PowerPoint presentation?

Consider the context

What is the first step to preparing an effective speech?

Deciding on a topic.

Carrie is giving a speech to her political science class. To make her topic interesting and engaging to her audience, Carrie looks at her audience's ____________ characteristics, such as sex and sexual orientation, culture, and political orientation.

Demographic

Charlana is doing her informative speech on yoga. She wants to teach her audience the sun salutation, a common series of yoga poses. Charlana plans to ____________ each of the ten poses so her audience can try them when they get home.

Demonstrate

Cai has always had stage fright, but her new job will require her to be in front of large audiences on a regular basis. To deal with her stage fright, Cai begins to offer her opinion at staff meetings and speaking at small group gatherings at her church. What method is Cai using to overcome her stage fright?

Desensitizing herself

Which of the following is not a goal of public speaking?

To relate

Which of the following is NOT a method used strictly to inform?

Editorializing

Which proof refers to a speaker's respectability, trustworthiness, and moral character?

Ethos

The _____________ of a term is its origin or history

Etymology

A speech about the 1st amendment would fall under this category

Event

When your speech focuses on a concept that may be unfamiliar to your audience, you can support your use of that concept by _____________ it explicitly.

Explaining

Summer is wrapping up her speech on marathons. She wants to close with impact and make sure her speech is memorable for her audience. Which of the following is the LEAST effective way for Summer to end her speech?

I hope I've inspired all of you to try marathons like me. You'll love it.

What is the first step in crafting a purpose statement?

Identify your topic and general goal

Because many of us learn better by doing rather than just seeing or listening, which of the following is useful to keep in mind when building a speech?

Involve your audience

Which of the following is NOT a demographic characteristic?

Mood

"Today, I'd like to share with you the top three islands to visit in Hawaii. First, we'll start off on the Big Island. Then, we'll move on to Maui. We'll end our tour on the island of Oahu". This is an example of which of the following?

Opening Statement

Aristotle used which term to refer to listeners' emotions?

Pathos

What is another term for materials that are published on a regular basis, such as magazines, newspapers, and scientific journals?

Periodicals

Teaching an audience how to do an exercise that is easy and beneficial is a way of appealing to which type of need?

Physical

Andy is asked to give a speech in his political science class on a current issue in the criminal justice system. He decides to discuss the death penalty. As his thesis, Andy states, "The death penalty should be made illegal in the United States". Andy has decided to base his presentation on a proposition of

Policy

Professor Galeran is teaching an advanced public speaking class for the first time. She stops to define terms such as "demographic characteristics" and "audience analysis", much to the annoyance of her audience. Professor Galeran failed to think what about her audience?

Prior knowledge

Margot is giving a persuasive speech in her health class. Her topic is obesity in kids. Her first main point is, "Childhood obesity is an epidemic in the United States". Her second main point is, "Teaching our children healthier eating habits at schools and promoting a healthier menu in school cafeterias are good ways to start to battling this issue". What pattern of organization is Margot using?

Problem-Solution

Which of the following is NOT a basic style of delivery?

Read

During her persuasive speech on stopping illegal music downloading on the Internet, Danica brings up an argument from the opposition. She says that those who support unauthorized downloading have argued that it isn't hurting anyone. Danica disproves that argument, offering statistics and testimony from artists whose finances have been hurt by illegal downloading. Danica has organized her speech using which of the following?

Refutational

If your presentation aids overpower your speech instead of embellish it, you probably did not follow which guideline for effective aids?

Remember your goal.

"First" and "on the other hand" are examples of what type of transition?

Signposts

Brittany is giving a speech about luxury cars from 1) Britain 2) Germany and 3) Italy. She is using a ________ pattern.

Space

Which of the following is NOT an option for organizing a persuasive speech?

Space

Eric is giving a persuasive speech in his sociology class on gun control. He wants to make sure he supports what he is saying, so he makes statements such as "According to the Task Force on Community Preventive Services, in 1994, the estimated lifetime medical cost of all firearms injuries in the United States was $2.3 billion" and "According to a 2007 poll by CNN, about 65 percent of Americans believe the constitution guarantees the right to own guns". Eric is relying on what type of support?

Statistics

Lorna is giving a speech on 3D technology. In her introduction, she states, "Just ten years ago, 3D technology was relegated to the back shelf because of its expense to produce. But with 2009's Avatar, all of that changed. Now, most of our top-grossing movies can be found in 3D format, and I'm sure you've seen at least one movie in 3D in the past six months". With this opening, what is Lorna trying to establish?

The relevance of her topic to the listeners

A ____________ statement is a one-sentence version of the message in your speech.

Thesis

A technique that often helps individuals perform well, even if they are experiencing stage fright, is __________________: developing a mental image of oneself giving a successful performance.

Visualize

Which of the following is NOT a vocal element of effective delivery?

Vocabulary

Pace is asked to give a speech to a local youth group. He considers his experience, hobbies, beliefs, values, and attitudes, how he enjoys spending his time, and what issues he cares about. What question is Pace answering as he brainstorms?

What topics do you care about?

Tanner is doing his informative speech on aerobic exercise. He wants to have three main points for his presentation. Which of the following main points would NOT be related to the others?

You should also consider lifting weights to build muscle mass.

If you see an infomercial on a product late one night and are persuaded to order that product, the infomercial has succeeded in influencing what?

Your opinions

Avoiding ___________ during a speech is a response to fear that makes the speaker feel hidden and protected; having it can make the speaker feel vulnerable because it acknowledges that the audience is evaluating the speaker.

eye contact

A particularly good time to incorporate ________ into your delivery is during a transition in your speech because your change in position will correspond to a change in your remarks.

movement