MCC Speech Midterm
3.3. What must balance the right to free speech?
b. the responsibility of speaking ethically
4.1. Within 24 hours after listening to a lecture or speech, most people will likely recall only about ______ percent of the message.
a. 50
6.12. What is the difference between a purpose statement and a central idea?
a. A purpose statement focuses on audience behavior, while a central idea focuses on the content of the speech.
4.15. In her speech, Martina provided three main points in a chronological pattern. Two of her classmates, Anna and Donna, were discussing the speech the next day. Anna remembered Martina's three main points while Donna only remembered the story used in the introduction. Who was the better listener, according to the textbook's tips to enhance listening skills?
a. Anna was the better listener because she followed the tip, "Listen for major ideas."
6.16. ______ are detailed points of focus for developing your central idea.
a. Main ideas
4.20. If your speech teacher asked the class to "judge or discuss" the speeches given in class, what would the instructor want?
a. The class would be asked to give criticism or constructive feedback to the speaker.
3.17. Marty is having problems coming up with an idea for a speech. He knows his fraternity keeps files of old tests, papers, and speeches and decides to look through these for an idea. He finds a great speech about bats, their value to ecology, and their habitat. He likes this speech so much that he decides to use it largely intact but goes to the Internet to update the sources. Which of the following statements best describes this situation?
a. This is an ethical violation known as plagiarism.
7.16. What guidelines should you follow when using statistics in a speech?
a. Use reliable, authoritative, unbiased sources for your statistics.
5.15. As a requirement for his biology class, Jorge must attend a speech by a visiting scholar in biology. What kind of audience will Jorge be a part of at this event?
a. a captive audience
3.12. Sometimes called _______, sensitivity to differences does not mean that speakers must give up their own beliefs for their audience members.
a. accommodation
4.3. When we, as listeners, focus on the message, we are said to
a. attend.
2.1. The central focus during public speaking should be the
a. audience.
4.16. As ethical listeners, audience members must
a. communicate their expectations and feedback to the speaker.
4.17. The process of evaluating the quality of information, ideas, and arguments presented by a speaker is known as
a. critical listening.
5.8. The beliefs, values and customs taught and learned within a particular group of people is known as their
a. culture.
3.18. In regard to those times when you are not sure if the information you are using is common knowledge, your text suggests that you should
a. document the source.
2.6. If a comic gives a monologue with the goal of making the audience laugh, entertainment is his
a. general purpose.
6.8. Speeches that you present will be either to inform, to persuade, or to entertain. This goal for your speech is knows as its
a. general purpose.
3.9. If your speech goal is to _____, it is probably ethical.
a. inform or persuade
2.15. What term did the ancient Romans use to refer to the ability to develop or discover ideas that result in new insights or new approaches to old problems?
a. invention
7.17. A mother who speaks about the death of her child due to influenza is providing
a. lay testimony.
1.11. The ______ in public speaking is the speech itself—both what is said and how it is said.
a. message
4.9. Consciously working to maintain your audience's attention by using occasional wakeup messages is an effective way to
a. prevent listeners' focusing on personal concerns instead of your message.
5.13. Trying to determine what an audience believes or thinks about a speech topic is an aspect of _____ analysis.
a. psychological
5.5. A public speaker seeks to establish a(n) ______, or ongoing connection, with audience members by identifying common ground with them.
a. relationship
20. In his speech about date rape on college campuses, Ryan cites statistics from state and county law enforcement documents/ then he includes statistics from incidents on his own campus. Which principle of selecting the best supporting material is Ryan using?
a. relevance
1.3. One way public speaking and conversation are different from one another is that public speaking
a. requires more preparation.
4.19. As listeners, if we become aware of the methods and techniques speakers use to achieve their goals while speaking, what are we listening for?
a. the symbols incorporated into the speech
3.7. In 1989, the Supreme Court overturned a statute that made burning the United States flag illegal because
a. they found it to be a "speech act" protected by the First Amendment.
6.7. When searching for a speech topic, Web directories, such as DMOZ, are helpful because
a. they have a list of topics divided into categories and subcategories.
2.7. What are the three types of general purposes for speeches?
a. to inform, to persuade, to entertain
3.5. In 1940, what speech act did Congress declare illegal?
a. urging the violent overthrow of the federal government
7.2. A Web site that indexes information in a specific field is known as a
a. vertical search engine.
7.18. When is it a good idea to use expert testimony in a speech?
a. when your topic requires that you make predictions
4.7. The ______ theory of listening suggests that when a listener's capacity is reached, then it's harder to concentrate and remember what we hear.
a. working memory
6.2. The best publicspeaking topics are those that reflect
a.your personal experience.
3.6. In 1964, the Supreme Court ruled that before a public official can recover damages for slander, he or she must prove that
b. the slanderous statement was made with "actual malice."
1.9. ______ is the expression of emotion through posture, movement, gestures, facial expression, and voice.
b. Elocution
6.15. "Deforestation by lumber interests and toxicwaste dumping are major environmental problems in the United States today." What is wrong with this central idea?
b. It contains more than one idea.
7.4. For an upcoming speech, Marcie began her research on the subject of nanotechnology on Wikipedia. What does Marcie need to keep in mind while reviewing an article from this site?
b. The site's reliability and appropriateness for academic use are limited.
3.16. When citing your sources orally in a speech, you should
c. state briefly the author, title, and year.
7.8. Tracie is gathering support for her persuasive speech on animal testing for medical purposes. She makes use of Web sources and has a great deal of relevant material. However, when outlining the speech, she can't find the source of many facts and statistics she plans to use. What is Tracie's problem?
b. Tracie needed a preliminary bibliography with all necessary material to locate the sources.
7.11. In his speech about drinking and driving, David told the story of what happened to him and three friends on highschool graduation night. He went into detail about how they had been partying, how they wouldn't let anyone sober drive them home, and how one life ended when their car wrapped around a tree in the middle of the night. What kind of supporting material did David use in his speech?
b. a personal illustration
1.17. The most recent communication models are transactive models that focus on communication as
b. a simultaneous process.
3.14. Hypothetical illustrations within a speech are
b. acceptable to show what might happen, as long as the speaker is clear that it is hypothetical.
5.6. A good speaker should ethically use the information gathered in an audience analysis to adapt his or her message so that it will be better understood. According to your text, this process is called audience
b. adaptation.
7.12. A statement that makes clear how something is done or why it exists in its present or past form is known as
b. an explanation.
7.7. After her conversation with a representative from the health and wellness program at a local hospital, Jieun organizes her notes and decides which statements to quote in her speech. This form of supporting material is
b. an interview.
5.1. A speaker who gathers information about the listeners, analyzes this information, and adapts his or her speech to them is demonstrating the idea of a(n)
b. audience-centered speaker.
6.3. An informative speech has been assigned, so Angel starts to worry about what he can possibly present to his class. That night he takes out a blank sheet of paper and just starts writing down every possible idea for a speech topic that he can think of. What is Angel doing?
b. brainstorming
2.12. The ______ is a onesentence summary of the speech content.
b. central idea
2.14. "The Wheat Belly diet is based on reducing the amount of processed foods that you eat, avoiding all processed flour, and increasing the amount of exercise you get." This statement is an example of a(n)
b. central idea.
5.4. When attempting to discover whether you and your audience members have similar cultural characteristics, are about the same age, and have relatively the same education level, you are primarily trying to establish
b. common ground.
7.1. Joe is a former champion weightlifter and professional bodybuilder. He is preparing an informative speech on the abuse of steroids in physical fitness. Through his personal experiences, what quality does Joe add to the presentation of his speech?
b. credibility
1.5. One of the empowering resources that you develop by studying public speaking is ______, which involves analyzing information to judge its accuracy and relevance.
b. critical thinking
6.13. A central idea should be written as a
b. declarative sentence.
5.7. Collecting information about an audience concerning their age range, gender, and ethnicity is part of a _____ audience analysis.
b. demographic
7.13. Using "word pictures" that make people, places, and events come alive for the audience is a process known as
b. description.
1.4. Having the resources, information, and attitudes that allow you to take action to achieve a desired goal is called
b. empowerment. .
6.19. The central idea for Janelle's speech on the importance of using sunscreen does not break down into logical divisions. Rather than forget this topic and try to find one that divides more logically, what other suggested strategy should Janelle apply?
b. establish reasons why her central idea is true
5.9. The portion of a person's background that relates to factors such as nationality or religious heritage is known as
b. ethnicity.
3.20. Greek rhetorician Aristotle used the term ______ to refer to a speaker's credibility.
b. ethos
4.18. The ______ in a presentation is comprised of the facts, examples, opinions and statistics provided.
b. evidence
7.14. If, as supporting material for a speech, you discuss or demonstrate a process of any kind, you are
b. explaining how.
1.6. In a nationwide survey noted in the text, prospective employers of college graduates said they seek candidates with
b. good speaking and presentation skills.
1.14. An audience member is worried about an upcoming exam and is unlikely to remember much of what the speaker says. This is a type of _____ noise.
b. internal
2.9. A speech designed to ______ seeks to change or reinforce listeners' attitudes, beliefs, values, or behavior.
b. persuade
2.10. Ads on TV, radio, and popup commercials on the Internet, as well as sermons, political speeches, and sales presentations all have the general purpose to
b. persuade.
4.2. Because we hear so many sounds simultaneously, the first stage of listening is to
b. select.
6.10. The ______ is decided solely by the speaker since it depends on the behavioral change the speaker expects from the audience at the end of the speech.
b. specific purpose
2.3. The key focus of the content of a speech is known as the
b. speech topic.
2.18. Every wellprepared speech has three major divisions. What are these three divisions?
b. the introduction, the body, and the conclusion
7.19. In a persuasive speech on the growing incidence of severe weather attributed to climate change, you cite many experts who support this idea. With this material, you are utilizing the principle of
b. variety.
4.12. Most people talk at a rate of ______ words a minute, while most people can listen at a rate of ______ words a minute.
c. 125 / 700 to 1200
5.19. Which of the following is TRUE of an attentive audience?
c. An attentive audience doesn't move much.
3.19. ______ is a speaker's believability.
c. Credibility
3.2. _____ speech or speech acts are legally protected.
c. Free
6.14. Allison has written and rewritten the central idea of her speech on the topic of dog care. She finally comes up with "Dog care is very difficult." What is the problem with this central idea?
c. Her central idea is too vague.
7.6. Once you have arranged an interview with an authority on your speech topic, what is your next task?
c. Plan for the interview by conducting thorough research.
4.14. What does research suggest about good listeners?
c. They are present mentally as well as physically.
5.3. You're deciding on a speech topic, but need some information from your audience. Rather than asking them to divulge their opinions out loud, you design a short questionnaire. The questionnaire asks whether a person agrees or disagrees with a series of statements regarding various topics. What form of survey are you using?
c. a formal audience analysis survey using closed-ended questions
7.10. When using brief illustrations, it is often stronger to use
c. a series of them.
2.19. Most public speaking teachers recommend that you prepare your speech introduction
c. after you have carefully organized the body of your talk.
2.20. The best way to practice your speech is to rehearse it
c. aloud, standing just as you will when you deliver it to your audience.
4.8. How can you combat information overload as a speaker?
c. build redundancy into your message
1.19. When speakers are tense and try to relax their muscles while waiting for their turn to speak, without calling attention to what they are doing, their actions reflect a strategy of coping with nervousness your text refers to as
c. channeling your nervous energy.
1.10. Translating ideas and images in the speaker's mind into verbal or nonverbal messages that an audience can understand is called
c. encoding.
7.9. A lengthy illustration with a plot—a beginning, complications, a climactic point, and an end is called a(n) _____ illustration.
c. extended
1.18. Most speakers who procrastinate in preparing their speeches will
c. feel more speaker apprehension.
7.3. Academic Search Complete and JSTOR are examples of
c. full-text databases.
2.8. If the general purpose of a speech is to ______, the speaker will teach, define, illustrate, clarify, or elaborate on a topic.
c. inform
5.20. Veronica was watching her audience carefully during her speech. After a few minutes, she noticed several class members staring at her with a glazed look in their eyes. She immediately picked up the speed of her speech and introduced a colorful visual. What was Veronica responding to?
c. nonverbal audience cues
4.10. Tara comes into the classroom early on the day of her speech. She closes the blinds, checks the room temperature, and sets up the transparency machine. Which barrier to listening is Tara trying to overcome?
c. outside distractions
3.15. Relying too heavily on the vocabulary or sentence structure of a source is a less obvious form of plagiarism known as
c. patchwriting.
6.5. When brainstorming, the first topic you think of may remind you of a second possibility. This is known as
c. piggybacking.
6.20. If a speaker says, "Tonight, I'm going to discuss with you two reasons why everyone should recycle, including costsaving benefits and the problems waste creates in the environment," you recognize this as a(n)
c. preview of main ideas.
4.6. When listeners can recall ideas and information presented to them, they are said to
c. remember.
1.2. One way public speaking and conversation are similar is that both
c. require focusing and verbalizing your thoughts.
5.12. When you analyze an audience's income, occupation, and education you are analyzing their
c. socioeconomic status.
2.11. "At the end of my speech, the class will be able to identify three counseling facilities on campus and describe the best way to get help at each one." This statement is an example of a
c. specific purpose.
2.4. According to one research study, as a student, the amount of time you spend preparing your speech is one of the best predictors of
c. the grade you receive.
5.16. A situational audience analysis includes an examination of the
c. time and place of your speech, the size of your audience, and the occasion.
4.5. When, as a listener, you relate what you hear to an experience that you had as a teenager, you are
c. understanding.
4.4. When listeners assign meaning and make sense of what they heard, they have _____ the message.
c. understood
1.13. A speaker transmits a message through two channels:
c. visual and auditory.
2.13. How does the specific purpose statement differ from the central idea?
c.Your specific purpose indicates what you want your audience to do when you have finished your speech / your central idea identifies the essence of your message.
6.17. How many main ideas does the text suggest you should have in your speech?
d. 2 to 4
2.16. To determine how to subdivide your central idea into key points, you should ask which of the following questions?
d. Does the central idea have logical divisions?
1.20. Before presenting her speech, Ursula was feeling very nervous, so she sat down and said to herself, "I know this stuff better than anyone else. I've practiced it. My message is well organized. I know I can do it. I'll do a good job." What guideline for building confidence is Ursula following in this example?
d. Give yourself a mental pep talk.
3.8. Lee gave an informative speech on the poor quality of local drinking water. He brought in a test kit and presented statistics that proved local water was dangerous to drink. He advised the class to purchase a certain type of water filter pitcher guaranteed to remove these impurities. At the end of his speech, he mentioned that he worked for the company that made the pitcher and had them for sale. What was Lee's mistake?
d. Lee violated the ethical guideline of having a responsible goal for a speech.
3.13. In a persuasive speech, you tell a hypothetical story in your introduction and represent it as actually happening to you. Is this appropriate
d. No, because you are violating an ethical principle, which requires that speakers do not present the work of another as if it were their own work.
1.7. ______ refers to the strategic use of words and symbols to achieve a goal.
d. Rhetoric
2.5. Which of the following questions should you always ask yourself when selecting and narrowing your topic?
d. What are my talents, interests, and experiences?
6.6. Is it appropriate to develop a speech topic based on something you heard on a television talk show?
d. Yes/ brainstorming ideas from a television program is a good way to develop a topic and is an option suggested in the text.
7.15. Samantha is giving a speech on binge drinking. She uses supporting material that says, "A binge drinker is a man who drinks five or more drinks in one sitting or a woman who drinks four or more." This type of supporting material is
d. a definition.
5.18. When Robert asked his class, "How many of you just don't have enough time to do all the things you want to do in a day?" as his speech introductory device, almost everyone in the audience raised their hands. This audience reaction is
d. an indication of nonverbal responsiveness.
5.2. To gather formal information about audience members' attitudes, beliefs, and values, you should
d. ask open-ended and closed-ended questions on a survey.
3.11. Being ______ involves becoming as aware as possible of others' feelings, needs, interests, and backgrounds.
d. audience-centered
5.14. If you think the sun will rise in the east in the morning, you hold a(n) ______ about the sun based on what you perceive to be true or false.
d. belief
4.13. To increase your skill in accurately interpreting nonverbal messages you should
d. consider nonverbal cues in context.
1.16. The environment or situation in which a speech occurs is known as
d. context.
1.12. If a speaker has trouble finding words to convey his or her ideas or sends contradictory nonverbal symbols, listeners may NOT be able to ______ the speaker's verbal and nonverbal symbols back into a message.
d. decode
6.11. When Elizabeth was asked to be the afterdinner speaker for the senior honors dinner, she responded with great enthusiasm. She viewed this as an opportunity to reflect on their past years at college, to bring a smile to her fellow seniors' faces, to make them feel the excitement of the event, and to help them enjoy themselves. In this situation, Elizabeth would be speaking to
d. entertain.
3.1. According to the National Communication Association, _____ is fundamental to responsible thinking, decisionmaking, and the development of relationships and communities within and across contexts, cultures, channels, and media.
d. ethical communication
5.17. With respect to a situational audience analysis, as a general rule, the larger the audience, the more likely they are to
d. expect a more formal speaking style.
1.15. Smiles, head nods, eye contact, and clapping from audience members are all forms of
d. feedback.
5.11. Audience members who place more importance on nonverbal than verbal messages are likely from _____ cultures/ whereas those placing more emphasis on what was said than the nonverbal messages are likely from _____ cultures.
d. highcontext / lowcontext
6.18. Searching for logical divisions in a subject is a strategy for determining your
d. main ideas.
6.9. During his speech, Tomas asks his audience to sign a petition increasing the student parking areas. His general goal is to
d. persuade.
4.11. When you decide that the speaker's message will have no value, even before the speech begins, you have engaged in the listening barrier of
d. prejudice.
3.4. During World War I, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it was lawful to restrict speech that
d. presented "a clear and present danger" to the nation.
6.4. The goal of brainstorming relates to the ______ of information produced.
d. quantity
2.17. To make a speech audiencecentered, when gathering support material you should make sure that it is both interesting and
d. relevant.
7.5. In a traditional library, the collection of books is called the
d. stacks.
5.10. What is ethnocentrism?
d. the attitude that one's own cultural approach is superior to those from other cultures
6.1. Not only should a speaker's choice of topic be relevant to the interests and expectations of his or her listeners, it should also take into account
d. the knowledge listeners already have about the subject.
3.10. Speakers who bring in false claims and manipulate the emotions of the audience, instead of using sound evidence and logical arguments, are classified as _____ speakers.
d. unethical
1.1. ______ is the process of presenting a message to an audience, small or large.
d.Public speaking
1.8. If you delivered a well
known speech by the British orator Edmund Burke, you would be practicing the art of - a. declamation.
2.2. As the text explains, a presentation that seems perfectly sensible and acceptable to a ______ businessperson who is accustomed to straightforward, problem
oriented logic may seem shockingly rude to a ______ businessperson who expects more circuitous, less overtly purposeful rhetoric. - c. U.S. / Chinese