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Study Guide

Field 004: Speech
Sample Multiple-Choice Questions

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Subarea 1—ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION AND PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Objective 001
Understand the history, functions, characteristics, and components of the human communication process.

1. The classical art of rhetoric, best exemplified by Aristotle's text the Rhetoric, focused primarily on how to:

  1. use public speaking as a means of persuasion.
  2. employ dialogue as a method of discovering truth.
  3. promote cross-cultural understanding and cooperation.
  4. use interpersonal communication techniques to build relationships.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
Objective 002
Demonstrate knowledge of the listening process.

2. Ken's father is giving him driving directions to a restaurant. As his father speaks, Ken focuses on the details of the directions, repeating to himself the exit number, the relevant street names, and the sequence of left and right turns that will get him to the restaurant. In this situation, Ken is demonstrating which of the following communication skills?

  1. applying empathic listening
  2. using appropriate listening strategies
  3. providing nonverbal feedback
  4. sorting through competing sounds
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
Objective 005
Analyze principles of ethical communication.

3. In which of the following ways can public speakers best ensure that they will fulfill their ethical obligation to avoid communicating erroneous information or misleading advice?

  1. including references to respected authorities in speeches
  2. making certain that they have confirmed facts and research results included in speeches
  3. using telling examples to illustrate main ideas in speeches
  4. developing speeches that appeal to the logic of listeners rather than to the emotions of listeners
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
Objective 006
Understand key professional roles and responsibilities of the speech communication educator.

4. A speech communication teacher is interested in exploring with students the ways in which social media affect the way people communicate with one another. Which of the following strategies would best help the teacher prepare lessons on these forms of mediated communication?

  1. contacting popular social media sites and requesting promotional literature
  2. allowing student users of social media sites to plan and lead class discussions about issues related to these media
  3. requesting that school library staff conduct an information search of print-based materials that could be used as classroom handouts
  4. using the National Communication Association Web site to locate and share information about the implications of social media
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.

Subarea 2—ORAL, VISUAL, AND WRITTEN LANGUAGE SKILLS

Objective 007
Analyze the interrelationships among oral, visual, and written language.

5. For a class project, students read a novel and then view a feature film based on the novel. Which of the following assignments would best promote students' use of media literacy skills in understanding the relationships between the novel and its visual interpretation?

  1. evaluating the depiction of setting and mood in the film in terms of whether it conforms or deviates from the novel
  2. investigating whether the author of the novel wrote the script for the film and how he or she felt about the final product
  3. researching other novels that have been made into films and attempting to determine literary elements these novels share
  4. comparing and contrasting the plot structure, key scenes, character development, and other elements in the novel and film
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
Objective 008
Understand how the structure and conventions of language (e.g., patterns, dialect) affect the communication process.

6. Speakers most often use rhythm in presentations to achieve which of the following effects?

  1. eliminating word clutter
  2. clarifying meaning
  3. enhancing the impact of words
  4. creating arresting images
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
Objective 010
Recognize similarities and differences between speech communication and the other language arts.

7. Which of the following assignments integrates the widest variety of English language arts skills?

  1. researching, preparing, and delivering an oral presentation
  2. selecting, memorizing, and performing a poem
  3. researching, writing, and editing an essay
  4. selecting, reading, and analyzing a novel
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.

Subarea 3—INTERPERSONAL AND SMALL-GROUP COMMUNICATION

Objective 011
Understand theories, principles, and characteristics of interpersonal communication.

8. Which of the following conversational strategies would most likely promote greater intimacy in a relationship?

  1. engaging in self-disclosure with one's conversational partner
  2. asking questions to clarify the message that one's conversational partner is communicating
  3. paraphrasing what one's conversational partner has said
  4. using direct rather than indirect communication with one's conversational partner
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
Objective 014
Recognize interpersonal and group communication as a framework for consensus building, decision making, problem solving, and conflict resolution.

9. Which of the following strategies can a group leader use to address the problem of groupthink?

  1. avoiding immediately expressing approval of a solution to the problem under consideration
  2. requiring that all decisions be made by a voice vote
  3. selecting group members who know each other and have worked together before
  4. limiting the amount of time available to make a decision
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
Objective 015
Demonstrate knowledge of interviewing strategies and skills.

10. Which of the following types of activities would most likely be effective in promoting students' use of appropriate listening and speaking skills in interview situations?

  1. trial simulation activities in which students portray the characters in dramatic courtroom scenes from well-known plays
  2. storytelling activities in which students volunteer to tell personal stories in class and take follow-up questions from classmates
  3. mock television talk-show activities in which students play the roles of hosts, guests, and audience members of various talk shows
  4. peer mediation activities in which student mediators use conflict resolution techniques to help resolve fictional conflicts between students
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.

Subarea 4—PUBLIC SPEAKING AND DEBATE

Objective 016
Apply principles of audience analysis to public-speaking situations.

11. A speaker is preparing a speech about gun control policies. Which of the following pieces of information about the audience would the speaker likely find most useful in crafting the arguments of the speech?

  1. the different occupations represented in the audience
  2. the average age of the audience
  3. the political affiliations of the audience
  4. the average income of the audience
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
Objective 017
Understand the planning, preparation, and organization of speeches.

12. A speech prepared for which of the following purposes would be best organized chronologically?

  1. convincing an audience of the urgent need to develop alternative means of energy production
  2. describing how mental maps help people order the space around them
  3. explaining to an audience how to increase levels of physical activity over time
  4. describing to an audience the course of a little-known World War II battle
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
Objective 018
Apply skills in speech delivery and critique.

13. An extemporaneous speech would be most appropriate to deliver in which of the following situations?

  1. A professor is giving a tribute at a colleague's retirement party.
  2. A man is spontaneously proposing a toast at his friend's wedding.
  3. The president is giving a State of the Union address.
  4. A woman is being interviewed as an applicant for a job opening.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.

Subarea 5—MASS COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA LITERACY

Objective 020
Understand principles of media literacy.

14. In a speech communication class, students analyze how one national event is covered by a local newspaper, a cable news channel, a television tabloid show, and a political Web site. This activity is most likely designed to promote students' awareness of how:

  1. most media focus on ways to attract the maximum number of readers or viewers, regardless of what event is being covered.
  2. different persuasive techniques are used to appeal to different segments of an audience.
  3. public viewpoints and beliefs about events may be influenced by ways in which media outlets choose to cover them.
  4. both mass media and popular culture influence how people interpret the news.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.

15. Both print and online publications often use visual images to accompany text. Which of the following best describes a primary function of using visual images in this way?

  1. verifying the accuracy and reliability of the information presented in the text
  2. providing an entry point into the text that encourages the viewer to read it thoroughly
  3. activating the viewer's preexisting knowledge about the subject of the text
  4. catching the viewer's attention and providing additional details efficiently
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
Objective 021
Apply knowledge of strategies and criteria for evaluating messages from a variety of media.

16. A researcher who is seeking information on the globalization debate finds extensive information relating to the topic on the Web site of an organization called Global Interaction. Which of the following questions is most important for the researcher to ask when assessing the reliability of the information?

  1. Is the information provided on the Web site internally consistent?
  2. Does the Web site provide links to other sources of information on globalization?
  3. Is the organization interested in issues other than globalization?
  4. What is the organization's motivation for providing the information?
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
Objective 022
Understand types and characteristics of mass communication and the influence of mass media on society.

17. Which of the following characteristics of the Internet most sharply distinguishes it from television, radio, and print?

  1. Information found on the Internet is less likely to be biased.
  2. The Internet offers more opportunities for audience response.
  3. Information found on the Internet is more likely to be out of date.
  4. The Internet contains more imaginative than factual material.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.

Subarea 6—THEATRE AND ORAL INTERPRETATION

Objective 024
Understand the theory and principles of vocal production.

18. Which of the following vocal techniques is most important in ensuring that an oral presentation can be fully understood by an audience?

  1. using appropriate pronunciation and well-enunciated words to produce clear, crisp speech
  2. consciously adjusting the rate and pitch of one's voice to the setting and mood of the speaking occasion
  3. using vocalized or verbalized pauses to draw attention to important points in the presentation
  4. varying volume and using a formal loud tone at the end to reinforce the idea of a strong conclusion
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
Objective 025
Demonstrate knowledge of principles, techniques, and literary selection criteria for theatre performance and oral interpretation.

19. When considering which literary work to prepare for an oral interpretation performance, it is most important that a student choose a selection that is:

  1. highly emotional.
  2. in poetic or dramatic form.
  3. easy to deliver.
  4. appropriate for the audience.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
Objective 026
Understand principles, techniques, and skills for creating, managing, evaluating, and appreciating performances.

20. A teacher plans to use the following checklist in a theatre class.

Performance Behavior How often is the behavior demonstrated? (check one)
Frequently Sometimes Rarely
Adjusts pace to changing circumstances
Displays verbal agility
Demonstrates awareness of imaginary environment
Creates and maintains a role
Communicates unprepared material logically
Conveys unprepared material with enthusiasm
Focuses on and responds to the actions of others

The checklist above would be most appropriately used as a tool for evaluating students':

  1. oral interpretation delivery skills.
  2. ability to work with others in group performances (e.g., choral reading).
  3. improvisational acting skills.
  4. knowledge of the critical elements of theatrical performance.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.