COMS Quiz #4
A definition by example is an effective way to explain something by pointing at it, verbally or literally. a. True b. False
a. True
A proposition of fact advocates verifiable facts that cannot be refuted. a. True b. False
a. True
A speaker using induction is trying to lead an audience to a conclusion by demonstrating relationships between established premises. a. True b. False
a. True
As a general rule, place your strongest points first or last. a. True b. False
a. True
Hypothetical examples cannot be based on facts. a. True b. False
a. True
In any persuasive speech, it is important to determine if you are trying to change the audience's minds or action. a. True b. False
a. True
One fallacy in your speech will make all other claims suspect. a. True b. False
a. True
Persuasion begins with clearly understanding your audience and the persuasive objective. a. True b. False
a. True
Stressing common ground is especially important if you are speaking to an unfavorable audience. a. True b. False
a. True
The president of a company was asked whether her decision to implement mandatory drug testing for all employees was in the company's best interest. She replied, "Anything I do is in the company's best interest." This is an example of circular reasoning. a. True b. False
a. True
The proposition, "'The United States Federal Government should reform Social Security," is a proposition of value. a. True b. False
a. True
The proposition, "It is possible to transform Mars so that it can be inhabitable by humans," is an example of a proposition of fact. a. True b. False
a. True
To argue a proposition of policy, you will probably also have to argue propositions of fact and propositions of value. a. True b. False
a. True
A warrant links evidence to an argument's claim and is the reasoning that would allow your listeners to accept your conclusion. a. True b. False
a. True
Speakers must be careful not to confuse audience members with the words they choose. a. True b. False
a. True
The statement, "Everyone should eat a diet low in saturated fats and engage in regular exercise to avoid potential problems linked with obesity," primarily focuses on which of the following persuasive goals: a. Adoption b. Discontinuance c. Avoidance d. Deterrence e. None of these answers are correct.
a. Adoption
Definition by ____ is useful for controversial or vague terms where an arbiter must decide among plausible alternatives. a. Authority b. Example c. Negation d. History
a. Authority
What type of reasoning would you be using when your argument consists of combining a series of observations to lead to a probable conclusion? a. Causal reasoning b. Deductive reasoning c. Inductive reasoning d. Reasoning by analogy e. None of these answers are correct.
a. Causal reasoning
14. To prove a causal relationship, you must test for which of the following except: a. Do the alleged cause and the alleged effect influence each other? b. Do the alleged cause and the alleged effect occur together? c. Do the alleged cause and the alleged effect vary together? d. All of these answers are correct and are tests to prove a causal relationship.
a. Do the alleged cause and the alleged effect influence each other?
To prove a causal relationship, you must show: a. both concurrent presence and concurrent absence of the cause and effect. b. concurrent presence only of the cause and effect. c. concurrent absence only of the cause and effect. d. both the cause and effect. e. None of these answers are correct
a. both concurrent presence and concurrent absence of the cause and effect.
When you use examples for explanation, it is essential that the examples are: a. factual, unbiased and verifiable. b. clear, relevant and varied. c. exciting, interesting and appealing. d. hypothetical, fictional and logical.
a. factual, unbiased and verifiable.
"My sister is a lousy driver, which leads me to believe that most women are lousy drivers." This is an example of a fallacy of the absurd extreme. a. True b. False
b. False
A figurative analogy can often be a more powerful form of reasoning than a literal analogy. a. True b. False
b. False
A persuasive speech has four possible goals: adoption, continuance, avoidance, and deterrence. a. True b. False
b. False
A word's etymological definition is the same as its historical definition. a. True b. False
b. False
Arranging your arguments from strongest to weakest employs the primacy principle and is called the climax format. a. True b. False
b. False
Drawing on pre-established "stock" issues is ineffective as it makes the persuasion too broad and generic. a. True b. False
b. False
Hypothetical examples can serve to amplify, clarify, or prove a point. a. True b. False
b. False
It is not necessary to evaluate the credibility of the authorities you cite when you use testimony as proof. a. True b. False
b. False
Paraphrasing testimony from authorities should be avoided because it could distort the idea. a. True b. False
b. False
Rather than building your credibility, citing sources during your speech can be distracting and is often unnecessary. a. True b. False
b. False
Reasoning is simply explaining ideas and listing the reasons around your main points. a. True b. False
b. False
Speakers should always use as many statistics as possible. a. True b. False
b. False
The proposition, "Security is preferable over privacy," is a proposition of policy. a. True b. False
b. False
There is only one way to interpret any piece of evidence. a. True b. False
b. False
To persuade your audience, it is impractical to rely on how data and claims are linked. a. True b. False
b. False
Which of the following is a proposition of policy? a. It is unethical to advertise cigarettes on billboards within two miles of an elementary or junior high school. b. American College should lower fees for undergraduate students. c. The death penalty is immoral. d. Television violence leads to aggressive behavior in children. e. All of these answers are propositions of policy.
b. American College should lower fees for undergraduate students.
"America! Love it or leave it" is an example of: a. Confusing sequence with cause b. False dichotomy c. Circular reasoning d. Attacking the person rather than the argument e. None of these answers are correct.
b. False dichotomy
To say that children that watch the most television exhibit the most violence; therefore, television makes children violent is an example of which fallacy? a. Ad hominem b. Hasty generalization c. Extending an argument to the absurd d. Faulty reversal of an if-then statement e. None of these answers are correct.
b. Hasty generalization
All of the following are steps to respond to or refute a point except ____. a. State the opposing view fairly and concisely b. State your position on that argument c. Question the logic of opposing argument d. Document and develop your own position e. Summarize and show how the two positions compare
b. State your position on that argument
One would be using a deductive pattern of reasoning when: a. The argument consists of combining a series of observations to lead to a probable conclusion. b. The argument consists of demonstrating how the relationship between established premises leads to a necessary conclusion. c. The argument consists of demonstrating how one event results from another. d. The argument consists of drawing conclusions about unknown events based on what one knows about similar events.
b. The argument consists of demonstrating how the relationship between established premises leads to a necessary conclusion.
Which of the following is not recommended for dealing with an unfavorable audience? a. Use plenty of evidence. b. Use plenty of emotional appeals. c. Stress common ground. d. Build your credibility. e. Adjust your purpose to a moderate goal.
b. Use plenty of emotional appeals.
"The federal government has an obligation to end poverty" is an example of a proposition of: a. Inference b. Value c. Policy d. Fact e. None of these answers are correct.
b. Value
In the cases of multiple causation, you attributing the effect to a single cause will: a. need to be supported with evidence. b. cause you to lose credibility with the audience. c. be warranted, provided that it passes the cause-and-effect tests outlined in the text. d. be completely inaccurate.
b. cause you to lose credibility with the audience.
Regardless of what framework is used, persuasion begins when you ____. a. deliver the speech b. choose the topic c. understand the audience's attitude toward the topic d. incorporate ethos, pathos and logos e. All of these answers.
b. choose the topic
The last step of the motivated sequence is: a. Need b. Satisfaction c. Action d. Visualization e. Attention
c. Action
The goal of stressing common ground with an unfavorable audience is to: a. Identify common concerns b. Minimize disagreement c. Create the basis for communication to occur d. Establish credibility e. None of these answers are correct.
c. Create the basis for communication to occur
"Paste is what you get when you mix flour and water." This is an example of what sort of definition? a. Operational definition b. Definition by negation c. Definition by example d. Etymological definition e. None of these answers are correct.
c. Definition by example
Which of the following is not recommended by your text for use when refuting opposing arguments? a. State the opposing view fairly and concisely. b. State your position on that argument. c. Document and develop your own position. d. Acknowledge the faults in your argument. e. Summarize the impact of your argument and show how the two positions compare.
d. Acknowledge the faults in your argument.
A major task in speaking to a favorable audience is the creation of personal involvement, which the authors indicate should be done through: a. Creating commitment and intellectual agreement. b. Touching on core values. c. Stressing common ground d. Being specific about how their lives are affected. e. None of these answers are correct.
d. Being specific about how their lives are affected.
The accuracy of statistical evidence can be checked by applying the following tests except for: a. Who collected the data? b. Why were the data collected? c. When were the data collected? d. How much of the data was used? e. How were the data collected?
d. How much of the data was used?
"According to the Center for Disease Control, Herpes Simplex Virus-1 transmission are up 230 percent from 2007 in people ages 17-21 and there is a strong correlation with sharing cups playing party games." Before using this statistic, which of the following tests should be run to test the accuracy? a. Who collected the data? b. Why were the data collected? c. When were the data collected? d. How were the data collected? e. None of these answers; the statistic is accurate.
d. How were the data collected?
"General Marlatt of the Joint Chiefs of Staff states that diplomatic solutions have failed in western Africa and that military intervention is necessary." Which criterion of adequate testimony is most likely to be violated? a. Does the authority have access to the necessary information? b. Is the authority qualified to interpret the data? c. Is the person an acknowledged expert on this subject? d. Is the person free of bias and self-interest? e. All of these answers are correct.
d. Is the person free of bias and self-interest?
Which of the following is not a fallacy involving statistics? a. The fallacy of the average b. The fallacy of the unknown base c. The fallacy of the atypical or arbitrary time frame d. The fallacy of the variance
d. The fallacy of the variance
The authors of your textbook indicate all of the following are reasons why an audience may be neutral to your position except: a. They are uninterested in your position. b. They are undecided about your position. c. They are uninformed about your position. d. These are all reasons for audience neutrality. e. None of these answers are correct
d. These are all reasons for audience neutrality.
"75% of the population of the United States are said to use sensing to perceive on the Myers-Briggs psychometric questionnaire. Therefore, it is very likely that your perceiving result may also be sensing" is a type of ____ reasoning. a. inductive b. deductive c. causal d. analogous e. None of these answers are correct.
d. analogous
A logical definition has two steps. First, it places the concept to be defined into a category, then it: a. explains how the category was drawn from an older culture. b. explains how conceptual terms are measured. c. clarifies the abstract notion by providing a well-rounded picture d. explains the characteristics that distinguish that concept from all other members of the category.
d. explains the characteristics that distinguish that concept from all other members of the category.
Speakers should test the credibility of the authorities they quote by asking which of the following questions: a. Does the authority have access to the necessary information? b. Is the authority qualified to interpret data? c. Is the person acknowledged as an expert on this subject? d. Is the authority figure free of bias and self-interest? e. All of these answers are correct and should be considered.
e. All of these answers are correct and should be considered.
Jerry Falwell, on September 14, 2011, made a statement blaming "pagans, abortionists, feminists, gays and lesbians" for the terrorist attack World Trade Center (for which he later issued a formal apology). Falwell's statement is an example of ____ reasoning. a. Inductive b. deductive c. causal d. analogous e. None of these answers are correct.
e. None of these answers are correct.
