Ch. 7: Selecting a Topic and Purpose

The thesis statement, the theme or central idea of a speech, should be expressed in the form of :

A single declarative sentence.

The specific purpose statement focuses more closely on the speeches goal than does the general purpose.

True

The theses statement is the theme or central idea of the speech.

True

To narrow a topic, you need to consider time constraints, audience expectations, and the nature of the occasion.

True

When preparing a speech, the speakers first task is to select:

A topic and purpose appropriate to the audience and occasion.

When narrowing a topic, the speaker need not consider:

Audience seating arrangements.

To generate ideas for topics, try _______ also known as topic mapping.

Brainstorming

As long as your speech topic interests you, it will be inappropriate to the audience and the occasion.

False

If a speech is informative, its thesis statement represents what you are going to prove to the audience.

False

If a speech topic is assigned to you, you are not accountable for tailoring it to the audience and the speech situation.

False

Speeches that try to change core values about highly charged topics tend to be successful.

False

The general speech purpose answers the question, what is my topic?

False

The thesis statement and the specific purpose statement are not related.

False

There are no tired or overused topics, as long as the speaker is good.

False

The _______ speech purpose answers the question, "What is my objective on this topic to this audience on this occasion?"

General

The purpose of the ______ speech is to increase an audiences understanding and awareness of a topic.

Informative

The ________ speech purpose expresses exactly what the speaker wishes the audience to get from the speech.

Specific

When giving your classroom presentation, which of the following should you do to avoid boring your audience and raising tension in the classroom?

Steer clear of overused and trivial topics

Because the entire speech rests on it, the thesis statement must be clearly stated in the speech.

True

Before giving a speech presentation, it is important for a speaker to identify whether he or she is seeking to inform, persuade, or mark a special occasion.

True

Brainstorming is a topic-generating technique using word association or topic mapping.

True