Speech Communications 101 - Introduction to Public Speaking » Spring 2019 » Midterm Exam

Need help with your exam preparation?

Question #1
Communication skills are one of the top job skills sought by most employers.
A.   FALSE
B.   TRUE
Question #2
Benefits of public speaking do not include
A.   improving hand-eye coordination.
B.   accomplishing professional and personal goals.
C.   learning practical skills and knowledge.
D.   finding new ways to be an engaged citizen.
Question #3
_____ involves delivering a specific message to an in-person audience.
A.   Public speaking
B.   Dyadic communication
C.   Mass communication
D.   Small group communication
Question #4
Part of audience analysis is considering _____ characteristics.
A.   demographic
B.   delivery
C.   speaker
D.   thesis
Question #5
When selecting a speech topic, a speaker should first consider which of the following as a guide?
A.   speech time limit
B.   historical events
C.   his or her interests
D.   current issues
Question #6
Anne gives a speech to her classmates about categories of computer games. The general purpose of Anne’s speech is
A.   to inform.
B.   to mark a special occasion.
C.   to persuade.
D.   to convince.
Question #7
A speaker’s general fear or anxiety associated with either actual or anticipated communication to an audience is known as
A.   stage fright.
B.   communication nervousness.
C.   public-speaking anxiety.
D.   communication uneasiness.
Question #8
Feeling ______ is one reason many people are uncomfortable about public speaking.
A.   attractive
B.   superior to the audience
C.   depersonalized
D.   different
Question #9
Properly channeling your nervousness can boost speech performance.
A.   FALSE
B.   TRUE
Question #10
Research reveals that people place their greatest trust in speakers who exhibit all of the following except
A.   genuine interest in the welfare of their listeners.
B.   sound reasoning skills.
C.   a solid grasp of the subject.
D.   regular use of emotional appeals.
Question #11
The ________ Amendment assures protection to both honest and dishonest speakers.
A.   Third
B.   Fourth
C.   Second
D.   First
Question #12
Hate speech is offensive communication that is most often directed against
A.   people’s racial, ethnic, religious, gender, or other characteristics.
B.   people’s values.
C.   people’s psychological characteristics.
D.   political ideas.
Question #13
In any given communication situation, all listeners will process information in exactly the same manner.
A.   TRUE
B.   FALSE
Question #14
Listening distractions are
A.   external and internal.
B.   not something a speaker needs to be concerned with.
C.   only experienced by poor listeners.
D.   always external.
Question #15
Active listeners
A.   usually set listening goals and listen for main ideas.
B.   ignore the speaker’s nonverbal cues.
C.   are often distracting to other listeners.
D.   apply the same goals to every speech.
Question #16
Audience analysis is the process of gathering and analyzing information about listeners in order to prepare a speech that is meaningful to them.
A.   FALSE
B.   TRUE
Question #17
Values are
A.   our predispositions to respond to things in evaluative ways.
B.   our most enduring judgments about what is good and bad in life
C.   our conceptions of what is true and false.
D.   our perceptions of reality.
Question #18
Under what circumstances should the speaker begin by showing the topic’s relevance to the audience, and then relate the topic to ideas and experiences about which the audience holds a positive attitude?
A.   if the topic of the speech is new to the listeners
B.   if the listeners have a positive feeling about the topic
C.   if the listeners already have a negative bias
D.   if the listeners don’t know very much about the topic
Question #19
If you ask survey respondents to respond to questions with a limited choice of answers, you are asking what type of questions?
A.   open-ended
B.   essay
C.   interview
D.   fixed-alternative
Question #20
As long as your speech topic interests you, it will interest the audience
A.   FALSE
B.   TRUE
Question #21
When narrowing a topic, the speaker need not consider
A.   audience expectations.
B.   audience seating arrangements.
C.   the nature of the occasion.
D.   time constraints.
Question #22
The ______ speech purpose expresses exactly what the speaker wishes the audience to get from the speech.
A.   initial
B.   general
C.   ethical
D.   specific
Question #23
Examples in a speech can be brief or extended.
A.   FALSE
B.   TRUE
Question #24
When used as supporting material in a speech, examples do not _____ your points.
A.   illustrate
B.   substantiate
C.   emphasize
D.   describe
Question #25
If a person who was a witness to the destruction of the Twin Towers on 9/11 provides a quotation about what she or he saw, that quotation would be considered 
A.   expert testimony.
B.   lay testimony.
C.   narrative.
D.   an extended example.
Question #26
In this day and age, Internet search engines give you easy access to the deep Web, so you don’t need to use your library’s online portal.
A.   TRUE
B.   FALSE
Question #27
Questions that don’t lead the interviewee to a desired response are known as
A.   vague questions.
B.   neutral questions
C.   loaded questions.
D.   closed questions.
Question #28
At the end of the interview, you should
A.   offer a brief, positive summary of important things you learned.
B.   provide a rebuttal.
C.   ask the interviewee to take a brief survey about the interview quality.
D.   inform the interviewee of your own point of view.
Question #29
Surveys are an especially effective source of support for topics related to the attitudes, values, and beliefs of the people
A.   who know the speaker personally.
B.   in a speaker’s immediate environment.
C.   in a speaker’s own culture.
D.   who share a speaker’s beliefs.
Question #30
Acknowledging speech sources builds your credibility and demonstrates good ethics.
A.   FALSE
B.   TRUE
Question #31
Ideas that are considered common knowledge need to be cited in your speech.
A.   FALSE
B.   TRUE
Question #32
The specific citation elements that need to be mentioned in a speech depend on
A.   how important the source is to the point.
B.   whether the speaker has enough time.
C.   the type of source.
D.   how easily the audience will accept the source.
Question #33
The conclusion of the speech should
A.   preview the next speech.
B.   restate the purpose.
C.   introduce new information.
D.   leave the audience laughing.
Question #34
The body of a speech consists of
A.   main points, supporting points, and transitions.
B.   thesis statements and introductions.
C.   specific purpose statements and internal summaries.
D.   a restatement of the thesis and statement of closure.
Question #35
Research indicates that audiences prefer speeches that contain _______ main points.
A.   five to ten
B.   one to two
C.   two to seven
D.   at least six
Question #36
Audiences find it easiest to remember the
A.   the points that occur in the middle of the speech.
B.   longest point of the speech.
C.   first and last points made.
D.   the shortest point of the speech.
Question #37
To discuss a topic in terms of its underlying causes, a speaker should use which pattern of arrangement?
A.   circle
B.   causal
C.   topical
D.   problem-solution
Question #38
To demonstrate the nature and significance of a problem and provide justification for a proposed solution, a speaker should use which pattern of arrangement?
A.   chronological
B.   causal
C.   problem-solution
D.   topical
Question #39
To have the freedom to move points around according to the way the speaker wishes to present his or her topic, a speaker should use which pattern of arrangement?
A.   topical
B.   chronological
C.   spatial
D.   causal
Question #40
Which of the following outlines uses partial construction of the sentence form of each point?
A.   phrase
B.   sentence
C.   preparation
D.   working
Question #41
With sufficient practice, which of the following outlines will help the speaker deliver his or her ideas more naturally?
A.   working
B.   rough
C.   key-word
D.   sentence
Question #42
Using the speaking outline, how many times should you practice?
A.   five or more
B.   three
C.   one
D.   two
Question #43
The purpose of a speech introduction is to
A.   provide an in-depth discussion of the topic.
B.   provide the evidence for the audience to accept the thesis.
C.   challenge the audience to respond.
D.   arouse the audience’s attention and motivate the audience to accept the speaker’s goals.
Question #44
Generally, the introduction should be brief and no more than _______ percent of the speech body.
A.   20 to 25
B.   15 to 20
C.   10 to 15
D.   5 to 10
Question #45
Which of the following should not be used to effectively introduce or conclude a speech?
A.   a citation of the sources you used in your research
B.   rhetorical questions
C.   stories
D.   examples
Question #46
Using a story as a speech introduction
A.   personalizes issues.
B.   makes ideas irrelevant.
C.   discourages identification.
D.   makes the audience question your seriousness.
Question #47
A speaker who uses vivid imagery
A.   uses abstract language.
B.   engages audience members’ senses.
C.   elicits mostly negative responses.
D.   distracts listeners from the main point of the speech.
Question #48
Forms of expression that make striking comparisons between the unfamiliar and the known, allowing listeners to more quickly grasp meaning, are called
A.   jargon.
B.   personal pronouns.
C.   sentence fragments.
D.   figures of speech.
Question #49
The literal, dictionary definition of a word is its
A.   analogous meaning.
B.   connotative meaning.
C.   alliterative meaning.
D.   denotative meaning.
Question #50
When people disagree about the meaning of a word, they are usually responding to the word’s
A.   use as jargon.
B.   connotative meaning.
C.   colloquial expression.
D.   denotative meaning.

Need help with your exam preparation?