50 Multiple Choice Questions

.

Multiple Choice

Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

____ 1. The meaning or significance that an experience has for us comes from:

a.	the actual experience itself
b.	similar kinds of experiences we've had in the past
c.	the symbols we attach to the experience
d.	our physical reaction to the experience
e.	the other people we share the experience with

____ 2. Bart tries to concentrate during a particularly difficult lecture, but finds that he is more focused on the instructor's unique dialect and delivery style. This is an example of:

a.	noise
b.	feedback
c.	transaction
d.	social diversity
e.	both A and C

____ 3. Which of the models of communication reflects that way communication can change as a result of what happens between people over time?

a.	linear
b.	interactive
c.	transactional
d.	all of the models reflect this type of change
e.	none of the models reflect this type of change

____ 4. Textual analysis is an example of which type of research approach:

a.	qualitative
b.	survey
c.	critical
d.	quantitative
e.	historical

____ 5. Gary is conducting an organizational communication study by using two different methodologies. He is giving the employees a questionnaire and he is also reviewing the minutes of the company's Board meetings over the past three years. Gary's research approach is a good example of:

a.	distributive methodology
b.	quantitative research
c.	triangulation
d.	qualitative research
e.	hybrid methodology

____ 6. The study of social and personal importance of storytelling is the focus of which communication the field?

a.	Organizational Communication Studies
b.	Mass Communication Studies
c.	Performance Studies
d.	Public Communication Studies
e.	Intercultural Communication Studies

____ 7. Don goes to class on Friday but the instructor is not present. The teaching assistant announces that the instructor is ill and there will be no class that day. When Don comes to class on Monday, he notices that students are handing in an assignment to the instructor. He discovers that the TA told students that even though there was no class Friday, they had a homework assignment to complete. Don's failure to attend to that part of the TA's message is an example of:

a.	noise interference
b.	biased reception
c.	insular listening
d.	selective perception
e.	assimilation

____ 8. Which of the following is a construct?

a.	your expectation of how a friend will behave
b.	your idea about how you should act in specific situations with a friend
c.	the person who is the best example a friend to you
d.	how a friend measures up on the dimension of intelligent-unintelligent
e.	the dictionary definition of friend

____ 9. When you are tired, stressed, or sick, you are likely to perceive things more negatively than when you are well rested. This is an example of:

a.	expectations
b.	social influences
c.	physiological influences
d.	self-serving bias
e.	attribution

____ 10. Three-year-old Elena calls every adult male "Daddy" because she doesn't yet make cognitive distinctions among men. This is an example of:

a.	a simple cognitive system
b.	a complex cognitive system
c.	certainty vs. provisionalism
d.	focus on abstract constructs
e.	reliance on multiple schemata

____ 11. Catching yourself in the process of self-serving bias is most likely the result of:

a.	inference
b.	lower cognitive complexity
c.	monitoring
d.	scripts
e.	protoypes

____ 12. Nathan laughs when his grandfather describes him as a "cool cat." "That's how we used to describe someone who is neat, pleasing, good," his grandfather says. "Not anymore," Nathan replies. This exchange reminds us that language is:

a.	arbitrary
b.	rule bound
c.	totalizing
d.	stereotypical
e.	derivative

____ 13. Institutional facts are the meanings we attach to brute facts based on:

a.	objective decisions
b.	concrete experiences
c.	specific activities
d.	human interpretation
e.	higher levels of abstraction

____ 14. Rachel is surprised when her friend Sarah consistently interrupts her while she is speaking. Rachel believes her friend should not continually disrupt her. Rachel's perception of her friend's behavior is based on a:

a.	regulative rule
b.	constitutive rule
c.	stereotype
d.	personal construct
e.	hypothetical thought

____ 15. Suzy is really upset and she feels like throwing a temper tantrum, even though she's 20 years old. Disregarding the social inappropriateness of her behavior, Suzy beats a door and then kicks it while in a public area. In this instance, Suzy's behavior was motivated by which aspect of herself?

a.	me
b.	I
c.	moral self
d.	cognitive self
e.	abstract self

____ 16. A technique developed by communication scholars to remind us that our evaluations apply only to specific times and circumstances refers to which of the following?

a.	indexing
b.	selective perception
c.	temporal differentiation
d.	ambiguity
e.	contextual perception

____ 17. Primary functions of nonverbal behavior include:

a.	regulating interaction
b.	establishing content level meanings of communication
c.	supplementing verbal communication
d.	A and C
e.	A, B, and C

____ 18. The study of physical touch is known as:

a.	kinesics
b.	olfactics
c.	haptics
d.	proxemics
e.	artifacts

____ 19. When a close friend she hasn't seen in a long time visits Beth in her dormitory room, Beth closes the door to the hallway, turns off the radio and shuts the window. By doing so Beth is reducing the potential____ so she can effectively listen to her friend:

a.	environmental distractions
b.	internal obstacles
c.	insular obstacles
d.	regulative distractions
e.	message impediments

____ 20. When Robert says to Nathan that he is having a difficult time with his girlfriend, Nathan's first response is launch into an extended description of the problems he is having with his girlfriend. By doing so, Nathan is engaging in a faulty listening practice known as:

a.	disconfirmation
b.	pseudolistening
c.	relational immunity
d.	paraphrasing
e.	monopolizing

____ 21. Meghan is mad at her boyfriend because she suspects that he went out drinking last night instead of studying. She decides to ask him how his studying went. When he cannot answer her questions, she will let him have it. Meghan's strategy is an example of:

a.	critical listening
b.	literal listening
c.	selective listening
d.	ambushing
e.	mindfulness

____ 22. Preparing for a geography quiz, Brendan makes up the nonsensical phrase " No one notices the Queen not liking the pie" as a tool to help him recall the Eastern Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, Ontario, New Brunswick, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island. In doing so, Brendan is employing a tool known as:

a.	a mindful manager
b.	an organizational grouping
c.	an informational adapter
d.	a mnemonic device
e.	a repetitional gambit

____ 23. The emotional tone of a relationship between people who are interacting is known as the communication:

a.	shape
b.	performance
c.	substance
d.	climate
e.	mood

____ 24. According to the textbook, the most basic form of interpersonal confirmation is:

a.	agreeing with another person
b.	recognizing another person exists
c.	acknowledging what another person feels
d.	acknowledging what another person thinks
e.	C and D

____ 25. Recognizing that people from different cultures differ in thoughts, actions, and values is known as:

a.	cultural diversity
b.	ethnocentrism
c.	provisionalism
d.	cultural absolutism
e.	cultural fanaticism

____ 26. Which of the following statement(s) is (are) accurate about conflict between people in relationships?

a.	conflict indicates a relationship is in deep trouble
b.	conflict is a sign that people are involved and matter to each other
c.	conflict may be overt or covert
d.	conflict may be managed well or managed poorly
e.	B, C, and D

____ 27. Megahn is annoyed that Holly left the kitchen in a mess. Meghan then plays the stereo loudly when Holly is trying to sleep. This is an example of:

a.	covert conflict
b.	overt conflict
c.	defensive climate
d.	offensive climate
e.	acknowledgment

____ 28. The openness of a system is:

a.	refers to the interconnection of its components
b.	the extent to which the system affects and is affected by outside factors
c.	the operations of its components in their totality
d.	a result of new elements emerging from the existing parts of the system
e.	a function of its overall balance

____ 29. The social, symbolic, and material practices of a social group that shape its members perspectives and communication processes are known as:

a.	understanding
b.	co-cultures
c.	standpoint
d.	ethnocentricism
e.	relativism

____ 30. Which of the communication cultures or co-cultures below tends to favor competitiveness in interaction, limited emotional responsiveness, and a focus on accomplishing instrumental goals?

a.	feminine communication culture
b.	masculine communication culture
c.	Asian communication culture
d.	African American communication culture
e.	lesbian communication culture

____ 31. Phil attends a party being held in honor of a visitor from Great Britain. Phil notices that the visitor doesn't stand very close to those who are talking to her. Phil doesn't assume that the visitor is being rude or unfriendly, instead he wonders how personal space preferences in Great Britain differ from those in the United States. Phil is practicing:

a.	resistance
b.	toleration
c.	understanding
d.	respect
e.	participation

____ 32. Specific people such as mothers, fathers, siblings, peers, and other care givers that are significant to us are known as:

a.	generalized other
b.	significant other
c.	particular others
d.	overgeneralized other
e.	overbearing other

____ 33. "You are a very smart girl," Beth tells her daughter. Beth's statement is an example of:

a.	indirect definition
b.	direct definition
c.	identity script
d.	self-fulfilling prophesy
e.	anxious/ambivalent

____ 34. The first stage in a romantic relationship is:

a.	initial attraction
b.	intensifying stage
c.	revising communication
d.	no interaction
e.	invitational communication

____ 35. In negotiating safer sex with your partner, which of the following would be considered a more constructive approach?

a.	"Without a condom, you could give AIDS."
b.	"You just don't care about me!"
c.	"If you wear a condom, I'll have sex with you."
d.	"You need to wear a jacket, dude!"
e.	"I feel unsafe having unprotected sex."

____ 36. Three or more people who interact over time, depend on one another, and follow shared rules of conduct to reach a common goal are known as:

a.	group
b.	special group
c.	team
d.	focus group
e.	quality circle

____ 37. A marketing research firm employs a number of interviewers at the Carousel Mall to gather selected shoppers in a group and question them on how they feel about a new candy product that may shortly be introduced. The subjects being questioned are part of a:

a.	research group
b.	marketing team
c.	focus group
d.	decision group
e.	product innovator group

____ 38. Next, Shiv says, "That's not how I see it. I think the research indicates that the market is pretty stable, but there are new competing products." Shiv's comment is which type of contribution?

a.	task
b.	procedural
c.	climate
d.	egocentric
e.	dynamic

____ 39. Lucinda sighs, "I'm sick of talking about markets and products. I feel frustrated with the drudgery of this group." Lucinda's comment is which type of contribution?

a.	task
b.	procedural
c.	climate
d.	egocentric
e.	dynamic

____ 40. On Tara's first day on the job, a co-worker tells her, "Ryan is a real stickler for rules, so dot every 'i' and cross every 't' for him." The co-worker's comment is an example of a(n):

a.	corporate story
b.	collegial story
c.	personal story
d.	interaction ritual
e.	enhancement rite

____ 41. Which of the following would most likely be an example of a speech designed to persuade?

a.	speaking at a co-worker's retirement party
b.	talking to students about responding to a proposed tuition increase
c.	talking about one's experiences growing up during the Great Depression
d.	giving a speech on what it's like to be a professional athlete
e.	giving a lecture about touring the Athenian ruins

____ 42. What a speaker exactly wants to accomplish with the audience is:

a.	a thesis statement
b.	a specific purpose
c.	a mind map
d.	a presentation topic
e.	none of the above

____ 43. Communication anxiety:

a.	improves communication
b.	is natural
c.	is experienced primarily by novice speakers
d.	is experienced by public figures
e.	all of the above

____ 44. Four methods of reducing communication apprehension include:

a.	daydreaming, systematic desensitization, cognitive restructuring, skills training
b.	positive visualization, cognitive restructuring, systematic desensitization, skills training
c.	negative visualization, cognitive restructuring, systematic desensitization, skills training
d.	cognitive complexity, positive visualization, systematic desensitization, skills training
e.	cognitive restructuring, negative visualization, daydreaming, skills training

____ 45. Which of the following is true about mass communication today?

a.	It is a major source of information, companionship and entertainment.
b.	It presents a view on human beings, events and cultural life.
c.	It favors some viewpoints while muting others.
d.	A and B
e.	all of the above

____ 46. Consumers select mass communication to gratify themselves and their desires. This view of how mass communication operates represents:

a.	cultivation theory
b.	critical theory
c.	uses and gratification
d.	agenda setting theory
e.	agency theory

____ 47. The idea that television creates homogenized and stable portrayals of society is called:

a.	mainstreaming
b.	high resonance
c.	cultivation
d.	gatekeeping
e.	agenda setting

____ 48. The idea that the world is a dangerous place, filled with mean and dangerous people who want to harm us is called:

a.	truth
b.	the mean world syndrome
c.	critical theory
d.	mystification
e.	elitism

____ 49. An disadvantage of written communication is that it:

a.	leaves a paper trail
b.	requires time to prepare
c.	requires precision
d.	A and C
e.	B and C

____ 50. The ability to conduct meetings while being geographically separated is known as:

a.	teleconferencing
b.	multitasking
c.	interconnection
d.	convergence
e.	virtual reality