Comm109 Exam 1 answers
When your teacher listens to your speeches, he or she is primarily listening for the purpose of
A) evaluation
Of the nonverbal behaviors discussed in your textbook, which is considered the most important source of emotional information?
A) facial expressions
Which of the following most accurately reflects the percentage of individuals who experience some form of communication apprehension?
A) 95 percent
An inoffensive or mild expression given in place of one that might offend is called a(n)
A) euphemism
According to research on gender expectations by Deborah Tannen, male communication styles are best characterized as
A) a contest to preserve independence and avoid failure
A person displaying effective listening competence behaviors
A) asks questions
When a car manufacturer says "this is the best station wagon in the world" without giving any proof, the most appropriate thing you would do as a listener is
A) assess the motivation behind the message
24) Which of the following would be most effective at helping you improve your communication competence?
A) avoid the tendency to assume too much about what we percieve
Which of the following is a barrier to effective listening?
A) avoiding difficult listening situations
During a medical examination, Dr. Smith discovers a serious problem but attempts to hide his concern by maintaining neutral facial expressions. In this instance, Dr. Smith is relying on what function of nonverbal communication?
A) deceiving
Instead of external factors influencing behavior you attribute the actions of others to being "that kind of person." This attribution reflects a(n)
A) ethnocentrism
You are sitting in a late afternoon class. As you are attempting to listen and pay attention you notice you are getting tired and that your mind is really just someplace else. What barrier to effective listening are you exhibiting?
A) faking attention
Looking for meaning by using more than one nonverbal message at a time is called the
A) functional approach
Tiffany says "let's get going" to Arleen, meaning "let's start," but Arleen thinks Tiffany means "let's leave." This exchange illustrates
A) indiscrimination
"Communication is a personal event" describes what type of communication?
A) intrapersonal
Radio, television, telephone, and the World Wide Web are all examples of
A) intrapersonal communication
22) Cassandra has watched the show Grey's Anatomy for years. When she began to date Caleb she wanted their relationship to be just like Derek and Meredith's from Grey's Anatomy. Cassandra's viewpoint illustrates the fact that differences in perception can be affected by
A) media
21) Kristen had a disagreement with Paul and told him that he was an idiot. Later, while apologizing, Kristen asked Paul to "forget that little comment." Kristen does not realize that
A) oral communication is irreversible
Our self-concept is determined by
A) our experiences and communication with others
Our interpretations of different stimuli are based on
A) past experiences and the opinions of others
According to Dale Leathers, eye behavior can indicate degree of attentiveness, interest, and arousal. Which category of facial expression does this technique fall under?
A) regulator
If you tell a person to go north to find a newspaper stand, and point in that direction, your use of nonverbal communication would be called
A) repeating behavior
Beth continues to tell herself "I'm going to pass this exam . . . I'm going to pass this exam" as she prepares for her final exam in mathematics. Her expectations that eventually led to her passing her mathematics exam illustrate a(n)
A) self-fulfilling prophecy
If you introduce yourself as a mother, part-time student, or cashier at a local grocery store, you are giving some indication of your
A) self-image
Which of the following is an example of an attitude?
A) smoking is harmful
We see two people shake hands as they are introduced to one another, illustrating which category of touch?
A) social-polite
Cognitively complex individuals
A) use "person- centered" messages.
Active and direct language that brings urgency to a message is known as
A) vividness
The fact that there are 87 different definitions for the word house illustrates
A) words change over time
Which statement accurately describes the relationship between listening and education?
B) proportionately, listening is the most used language skill
Asking a friend, "Do you think my painting is beautiful or ugly?" most clearly illustrates
B) polarization
According to your textbook, how much of his or her time does the average college student spend listening?
B) 46-55%
The statement, "Communication is a process" implies that
B) Communication is ongoing and ever changing
8) Aristotle, a classical Greek rhetorician, argued that communication was most effective when a speaker's character, or ________, was engaged in presenting truth.
B) Ethos (ethical appeal)
When you listen to rock music because you enjoy it, you are doing which of the following functions of listening?
B) appreciation or enjoyment
Effective communication skills
B) are learned over time through instruction and practice
According to the International Listening Association, the process of receiving, constructing meaning from, and responding to verbal and nonverbal messages is called
B) attention
According to communication researchers, eye behavior
B) can influence attitude change and persuasion
When we assess the number of mental structures a person uses, how abstract they are, and how they interact to shape that person's perceptions, we're assessing a person's level of
B) cognitive complexity
Joshua gets up to give his business presentation and begins to sweat profusely. As he delivers his speech, his hands tremble and his voice begins to quiver. Joshua's reactions to giving his presentation reflect symptoms of
B) communication apprehension
If I was in a serious car accident two years ago, the word "accident" may remind me of what happened, regardless of how the word is actually being used. This is an example of how a word has
B) connotative meaning
"Words have only one precise meaning analogous to a standard dictionary definition." This statement illustrates what type of meaning?
B) denotative meaning
As a communication source, an individual
B) determines the meaning of what is to be communicated
Self-enhancement (efforts to boost your own image) and other-enhancement (efforts to boost a target person's image) are forms of
B) impression management
In his assertion that "Nothing is clear in and of itself but in some context for some person," Robert Scott meant that
B) in the process of communicating with others, one person's perceptions are not more accurate that that of the other
When Brent told Scott he was thinking of running for Congress, Scott responded rather negatively by stating, "Politicians are crooks and scandals." Scott's categorization of politicians reflects
B) indiscrimination
19) Josh and Mark take turns exchanging information about their plans for the day during their morning chat over coffee. Their conversation best demonstrates that communication is
B) interactive
According to the text, our "social self-concept" is derived from
B) interpersonal relationships
Kevin has just lost his grandfather. As he shares his feelings of regret with his best friend Dan, Dan shows Kevin that he is aware of his feelings of loss and that he appreciates the hurt that Kevin must be going through. Which function of listening is Dan engaged in?
B) listening with empathy
The replacing of one expression of an emotion with another that is considered more appropriate for the situation is referred to as
B) masking
Sean pounded on the table during his persuasive speech to emphasize a point. After his speech, the audience applauded. Later that evening, Sean used the same fist-pounding strategy when trying to emphasize to his wife that he did not want pasta for supper. She had a more negative reaction. This example illustrates which characteristic of nonverbal communication?
B) nonverbal communication depends on context
The notion that our direct eye contact with a friend may differ in meaning compared to direct eye contact with a stranger illustrates which characteristic of nonverbal communication?
B) nonverbal communication is dependent on context
According to the text, self-concepts are often affected by
B) our interactions with others and our past experiences
You arrive on a new campus to participate in an undergraduate academic conference. You are not sure where to find the designated building. You see a woman dressed in a suit with a briefcase walking by and stop her to ask for directions. Since you are a student and attend college, you decided to stop her because she looked like a faculty person. This example illustrates the fact that we interpret our perceptions based on
B) past experiences
1) When we maintain our views even when the evidence suggests that our views are not correct, we are demonstrating
B) perceptual set
Kaitlin continually communicates with Tiffany as if she was still a little girl. In Kaitlin's eyes, Tiffany will always be "her little girl." This illustrates the fact that ________ can interfere with effective communication.
B) perceptual set
Angela, who is five feet tall, and Tim, who is six feet tall, both decided to test drive a car. Tim thought the car was perfect whereas Angela did not because she could not get the seat close enough to the pedals. This example illustrates the fact that ________ influence(s) our perceptions.
B) physical characteristics
Which of the following statements most accurately summarizes the relationship among self-image, selfesteem, and self-concept?
B) self-concept consists of our self-image and self-esteem
Impression management strategies designed to boost your own self-image are referred to as
B) self-enhancement
The grouping of stimuli that resemble one another in size, color, shape, or other characteristics is called
B) similarity
Thinking of communication as a "cure-all" is a myth because
B) sometimes communication can create more problems than it solves
Nonverbal communications, such as ________, add emphasis to the meaning of a word.
B) tone of voice, volume, and facial expression
Which of the following scenarios, or examples, illustrates linguistic relativity?
B) two pen-pals, one from the united states and one from Austraila, had trouble agreeing on what it meant to be successful
Michelle is very caught up in material objects. She develops her own self-concept primarily by figuring out "what she has" and "what she doesn't have." This focus on materialism is an example of a(n)
B) value
According to the text, which of the following statements about the relationship between gender and perception are true?
B) women and men learn to understand the world differently, which results in a difference in the way they communicate
According to the text, gender differences in touching behavior suggest that
D) women seem to value touch more than men do
1) Which of the following principles helps provide a foundation for understanding communication?
C) Communication is systemic
6) The classical rhetorician who noted that communication needed to be presented by "a good man speaking well" was
C) Quintillian
According to the text, the essential components of communication are
C) Source, message, interference, channel, receiver, feedback, environment, and context
The principles of effective composition and speech delivery were first studied
C) The rhetoricians of ancient Greece and Rome
Sam was talking to Juan about a teacher, and said, "My teacher is out to lunch!" Juan wasn't sure if Sam meant that the teacher was eating a meal, was unfair, was odd, or something else. Juan would have better understood Sam's message if Sam had been more
C) accurate
A team of researchers devised a classification system that divides body movements and facial displays into five specific categories. Which of the following does NOT belong to the five categories?
C) affect regulators
There is a difference between the word "desk" and the actual object, because "desk" is just a word used to name the object and is not the actual thing. This shows that language is
C) arbitrary
23) Which of the following behaviors would be most helpful in improving your perception competence?
C) be willing to question the accuracy of your perceptions
Which of the following terms best describes the situation that occurs when what is meant by a speaker is different from what is heard and understood by the listener?
C) bypassing
"As the doctor entered the room, he examined the patient's forehead and ordered a head CT." This statement best demonstrates that languages
C) can be gender-inclusive
When you are waiting in line at class registration and begin talking to the person in front of you about the length of the wait, you roll your eyes and sigh. What type of behavior are you engaging in?
C) complementing behavior
To avoid some of the pitfalls or barriers to listening, you should
C) concentrate on the main ideas rather than the details
When listening to a speech on Spain, if we pay attention to the numbers and specific facts instead of listening for the major theme of the speech, it is likely we are
C) concentrating on details, and not on main ideas
One barrier to listening is perceiving the topic or speaker to be boring, uninteresting, or unimportant. What should we do to overcome this barrier?
C) consider how the information might be used
When stepping off Air Force One, President Nixon would hold his hands up and use two fingers to convey a "V" for victory. In this example, Nixon was using what form of body movement to convey meaning?
C) emblem
18) Becky decides to translate her feelings of anger into words and communicate them to Brent. In doing so, Becky enacts the process of
C) encoding
Which of the following statements about ethnocentrism is most accurate?
C) ethnocentrism involves assuming that our view of our own country is superior to any other culture's view.
Which of the following statements most accurately describes the state of gender roles in our society?
C) gender roles are stable
The passive reception of sounds is called
C) hearing
The meaning of the communication act is inferred from the situation in what type of culture?
C) high-context cultures
Which of the following is an example of a value?
C) individuals should be more healthy
Although communication can be considered both transactional and interactional, the prime function of the communication source/sender is to
C) initiate the message
The theory that people from different language communities perceive the world differently is called
C) linguistic relativity
17) After finishing a lecture on thermodynamics, Arleen compliments Dr. Phen by saying, "Sir, that was a 'bad' lecture," to which Dr. Phen responds, "Why, what was wrong with it?" Which of the following statements about communication best illustrates Dr. Phen's response?
C) meanings are in people
27) During his telephone interview with IBM, Aaron answers a series of questions from Angela, a supervisor in the marketing department. What type of communication best describes their conversation?
C) mediated communication
When you use impression management to try and boost the image of a target person, you are engaging in
C) other-enhancement
Self-esteem is defined as
C) our feelings and attitudes about ourselves
Which of the following metaphors best illustrates the role that perception plays in the communication process?
C) perception acts as filter
12) The Internet has made it much easier for people to access all types of information. Unfortunately, this has led to a greater tendency for some people to
C) plagiarize
The grouping of two or more things that are close to one another in space is known as
C) proximity
Total silence, smiling or frowning, and asking for clarification of what was received are all examples of
C) responding
The sorting of one stimulus from another is known as
C) selection
10) Suppose after a basketball game, the fans of Team A believe that Team B committed more fouls, while the Team B fans think that Team A committed more fouls. Assume that the officials called an equal number of fouls on each team. Which of the following organizational functions of perception would best help us understand how each team's fans viewed the facts differently?
C) selective retention
The study of the meaning, or the association of words with ideas, feelings, and context is known as
C) semantics
According to the text, muted group theory suggests
C) status and power are limited
Interpreting nonverbal behavior requires understanding
C) the cultural norms governing it
In an argument with her roommate, Elissa angrily yelled out, "You never take your turn at washing dishes! In fact, you never do any cleaning up around here!" Angela responded to Elissa's comments by yelling "Oh yeah, well you never help out with any of the groceries." The escalation of their conflict best illustrates
C) the pendulum effect
Which statement accurately reflects the relationship between gender and language?
C) there are no singular gender-neutral pronouns in the English language
According to Erving Goffman, facework refers to the tactics we use
C) to present ourselves to others
According to the National Communication Association, competent listeners demonstrate the ability to
C) understand the process of listening
To listen empathically means to
C) understand what the other person is feeling
To say that nonverbal communication is ambiguous is to say that
C) we cannot assume that nonverbal behaviors have only one meaning
According to the text, interpersonal communication must involve
D) dyadic communication (2 people)
5) Speech communication is a diverse discipline involving a range of behaviors and situations. The common thread connecting all of these behaviors and situations is
D) Human symbolic interaction
Your textbook discusses the relationship between communication and ethics. One principle discussed is that unethical communication
D) May, in fact, constitute effective communication
Any given language has its own rules, such as the way to pronounce words and grammatical rules. This shows that language is
D) a system of symbols
When individuals are involved in a simultaneous communication process, they are involved in
D) a translation
Judi Brownell suggests five techniques for memorization, a vital skill for competent listening. These strategies include
D) association, categorization, mediation, imagery, and mnemonics
Which statement best describes the relationship between attitudes and beliefs?
D) attitudes include an evaluation of whether something is good or bad, whereas beliefs reflect the perception of whether something is true or false
There are many things you can do to improve your listening competence. Which of the following is recommended?
D) be flexible in your views
"Honesty is the best policy" is an example of a(n) ________, whereas "People should be honest with one another" is an example of a(n) ________.
D) belief, value
I ask you to get some information together on absenteeism rates for the hourly employees. You check the files from ten years back, collect the current time cards, and give me a 20-page report two weeks later. I wanted an oral report the day after I requested the information. This example most clearly illustrates
D) bypassing
Suggestions for improving your self-concept include which of the following statements?
D) commit to improve or change
The fact that there are over 330 languages in everyday use in the United States best illustrates that
D) communication is a symbolic action rich in subtlety
While at the airport, ready to depart for college on the East coast, Angela turns to her childhood sweetheart, Jeff, and says, "I'll miss you," and begins to cry and hold him tightly. This event illustrates which use of nonverbal communication?
D) complementing
Researchers suggest that listening is most closely linked with which of the following activities?
D) comprehension
When engaging in critical listening, the primary skill you need to have is
D) critical thinking
23) After receiving an email from her boyfriend stating that their relationship was over, Erin began translating the message into her own thoughts. This process is known as
D) decoding
The evaluating stage of the listening process involves
D) determining the intent of the speaker
During a basketball game, one of the players puts her hands together, forming a "T," in order to notify the referee that the player's team wants to call "time out." What type of body motion is the player using?
D) emblem
When you are having a bad day and call to tell your best friend about it, you are probably expecting your friend to use which function of listening?
D) empathic
When you actively make judgments about whether or not the message you are hearing is worthwhile, you are
D) engaging in critical listening
Tina dislikes a lot of television programming and therefore does not watch TV. Tina is engaged in selective
D) exposure
Which of the following sentences displays the highest amount of verbal immediacy?
D) i have heard that people like the vineyard
Which of the following is a reason why we should study nonverbal communication?
D) it is more likely that verbal communication to be spontaneous and unintentional
30) Recent communication research on gender illustrates that in groups containing both females and males
D) males take more turns at speaking
When Zantel is sad and doesn't want others to know what emotions she is feeling, she will assume a "pokerface." Zantel's use of a "poker face" is a facial management technique referred to as what?
D) masking
22) Your boss walks by you in the hall, gives you a report, and says, "I need you to have a summary of that report done ASAP." You take the report home overnight, summarize it, and give it to your boss the next morning. Your boss takes the summary and complains to you, "I'm disappointed that you did not get it to me by when I told you to." This example illustrates the myth that
D) meaning is in the words we use
24) "I don't know why I bother taking a communication class! I simply do not have the knack for communicating very well, and will never improve!" This statement best illustrates which of the following misconceptions about communication?
D) natural ability to communicate
Communication research indicates that in most situations
D) our nonverbal messages carry more meaning than our verbal messages
According to the text, stereotyping
D) oversimplifies and exaggerates
I perceive that Billy likes Christy because I always see Billy making an effort to sit next to Christy in class. The organizational function of perception governing my conclusion is
D) proximity
During his lecture, Dr. Soliz shakes his head up and down as a way of communicating "I am interested in what you are saying" to one of his students. In this instance, Dr. Soliz is using what function of nonverbal communication?
D) regulating
The process of perceiving combines
D) selecting, organizing, and interpreting information
Brent has convinced himself that he is poor at math. When he registers for his required math class, he is convinced that he will earn a poor grade. As a result, he rarely studies, and receives a "D" in the class. This example most clearly demonstrates
D) self-fulfilling prophecy
When individuals move between the language used by their coculture and the dominant culture's language, it is known as
D) style-switching
10) "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts" is a quotation that best illustrates the principle that communication is
D) systemic
According to your textbook, males and females, in terms of gender, are relatively similar. As a result, male and female psychological differences are mainly
D) the result of cultural influences
Which of the following is an example of a belief?
D) tobacco companies intentionally target youths in advertising
Knowing that she had a problem interpreting nonverbal communication, which of the following will most likely help Kris improve her interpretation of nonverbal communication?
D) use descriptive feedback
The commonly held idea that competent communicators should be ethical communicators best illustrates a(n)
D) value
Research about gender and self-concept has found that
D) women talk more than men about their relationships
While listening to the presidential debates, Jody assessed the accuracy of each candidate's position and determined the reasonableness of their conclusions. In other words, Jody was engaged in
E) evaluative listening
According to your text, during what age period do individuals develop a consistent gender identity?
E) 4-7
A culture with an individualistic orientation would tend to stress
E) achievement
18) Many communication scholars believe that the greatest single problem with human communication is the assumption that our perceptions
E) are always correct
20) An important principle related to the basic elements of communication is that
E) are simultaneously a source and a receiver
The tendency to fill in missing pieces and to extend lines in order to finish or complete figures illustrates what organizational process?
E) closure
If a government official describes an impending tax hike as a "positive economic inducement," she is most likely using
E) doublespeak
When you listen to assess the personal value or relevance in something you are most likely listening for
E) enjoyment
Regarding your understanding of "facework," which of the following tactics would be the most useful?
E) flattery
According to Brownell's HURIER model of effective listening, the accurate reception of sounds involves
E) focusing attention on the speaker
Which category of haptics is most likely exemplified through the action of a police officer frisking a perpetrator?
E) functional-professional
Which statement is true about the effects of self-concept on communication?
E) how others see us may may relate to our communication style, which in turn is a reflection of our self-concept
Words whose meanings cannot be understood by ordinary usage are referred to as
E) idioms
According to Edward T. Hall, which of the following spaces is NOT included in the study of proxemics?
E) individual space
When listening to a lecture in class, you are most likely listening for
E) information or comprehension
Using names illustrates that language is a powerful tool because
E) it defines who we are
Feedback is an essential component of the communication process because
E) it serves as a corrective device
Listening and hearing are different because
E) listening is active while hearing is passive
The most difficult nonverbal cue to interpret, ________, refer(s) to body motions that help us feel at ease in conversations. Examples could include playing with a pencil, touching your hair, or playing with a ring.
E) masking
Which mode of kinesics attempts to avoid emotional expression?
E) neutralizing
The sub-category of facial expressions that includes any movement or behavior of the eyes, is called
E) oculesics
According to the text, what is at the heart of all communication?
E) perception
According to your text, which model developed by John Kinch correctly illustrates the connection between self-concept and communication?
E) perception of others' responses, self-concept, behavior, actual responses of others
19) You are having a terrible day. You woke up late and your car wouldn't start. Once you got to school you couldn't find a parking place in time and on the way to class you realized that you forgot the assignment (it's on your kitchen table). You walk in the door and your teacher comments that "it is nice of you to join us." You perceive that your teacher is verbally attacking you, even though similar comments (made in jest) on other days did not seem as bad. This illustrates that ________ influence(s) the way we interpret stimuli.
E) psychological state
To improve your communication competency, the book suggests that you
E) recognize that each person's frame of reference is unique
The study of meaning or the association of words with ideas is called
E) semantics
A car salesperson using the term flea to identify a person looking for a bargain, and prisoners using the term shank to refer to a knife are examples of
E) slang
30) Which of the following statements best illustrates the point made in the textbook about whether or not communication is reversible?
E) speakers must explain and compensate for improper statements.
Communication is related to both language and speech. When reviewing the elements of language, the text states communication involves
E) the exchange of meaning
15) Which of the following statements about culture and communication is most accurate?
E) the way in which people communicate is primarily a function of culture