Public Speaking

Most public speaking situations involve two-way communication. a) true b) false

Research has shown that the anxiety level of most speakers drops off significantly: a) before they rise to speak b) as soon as they begin to speak c) when they are 30 to 60 seconds into the speech d) after they reach the middle of the speech

Which of the following strategies is least likely to help you deal with nervousness in your speeches? a) thinking positively b) concentrating on your stage fright c) working especially hard on your introduction d) using visual aids

__________ lets you know how your message is being received. a) Vocal variety b) Credibility c) Feedback d) Audience adaptation

Which of the following does your textbook recommend that you do in the conclusion of your speech? a) Let the audience know your speech is ending. b) Reinforce the central idea of your speech. c) End on a clever or thought-provoking note. d) all of the above

For her first speech, Rebekah plans to explain her interest in dance beginning with her childhood and continuing through her days in high school. Which pattern of organization discussed in your textbook will she use in her thesis and main body points? a) topical b) artistic c) chronological d) functional

For his first speech, Jeff is organizing his ideas around three holiday customs that were passed down by his Polish grandparents. According to your textbook, Jeff's thesis and main body points will most likely be organized in __________ order. a) familial b) topical c) chronological d) geographical

"To inform my audience how the campus administration let the cat out of the bag on the proposal to increase tuition" is a poorly phrased specific purpose statement for a speech because it: a) includes a reference to the audience. b) is written as a declarative sentence rather than a question. c) is expressed in figurative language. d) all of the above.

In which statement does the speaker preview the main points that will be discussed in the body of the speech? a) Topic b) General Purpose c) Specific Purpose d) Thesis

Which statement elaborates more on what the exact goal of the speech? a) Topic b) General Purpose c) Specific Purpose d) Thesis

How a speech begins and how it ends are just as important as what comes in the middle. a) True b) False

Attention Getter.

Tie to the Audience.

Credentials.

Purpose.

Thesis.

Which style of delivery will you use in this course? a) Manuscript b) Memory c) Impromptu d) Extemporaneous

Which type of delivery is used in situations that require absolute accuracy of wording or that impose strict time limits upon the speaker? a) Manuscript b) Memory c) Impromptu d) Extemporaneous

Which of the following is not considered to be an advantage of extemporaneous delivery? a) It gives greater control over ideas and language than impromptu delivery. b) It allows for greater spontaneity and directness than memorized or manuscript delivery. c) It encourages rehearsed vocal qualities, natural gestures, and strong eye contact. d) It encourages conversational vocal qualities, natural gestures, and strong eye contact.

There several characteristics of your speaking voice that you do have control over, and you can alter these to your advantage. a) True b) False

You can't always claim that you have good delivery unless you've practiced and HEARD yourself outside of yourself. a) True b) False

Which is the correct phrase? a) "I could care less." b) "I could not care less."

A summary is seldom necessary in the conclusion of an informative speech. a) True b) False

If you find a topic that is interesting to you, you can usually be sure that your audience will find it interesting too. a) True b) False

Informative speeches about processes are usually arranged in chronological order. a) True b) False

Which of the following is an instance of informative speaking? a) a student urging an instructor to reconsider the due date for an assignment b) a student on stage telling jokes during the intermission of a play c) a student sharing ideas about leadership based on a book she has read d) all of the above

In an extemporaneous speech, the exact wording is chosen at the moment of delivery. a) True b) False

You can articulate a word sharply and still mispronounce it. a) True b) False

The "conversational quality" of extemporaneous speaking means that a speech has been well rehearsed yet sounds spontaneous to the audience. a) True b) False

When a speaker's body language is inconsistent with her or his words, listeners often believe the body language rather than the words. a) True b) False

According to your textbook, saying "dunno" instead of "don't know" is an error in a) accent. b) articulation. c) vocalization. d) intonation.

According to your textbook, saying "pas-ghetti" instead of "spaghetti" is an error in a) articulation. b) description. c) intonation. d) pronunciation.

The relative highness or lowness of sounds produced by the human voice is called a) rate. b) pitch. c) quality. d) volume.

If you say the "s" in Illinois or the "p" in pneumonia, you are making a mistake in articulation. a) True b) False

You have found statistics on the Internet that you would like to use in your speech. Before you do, you need to make sure that a) they come from a credible author or sponsoring organization. b) you can find the date on which they were published, posted, or updated. c) the statistics are recent enough to make them reliable for your speech. d) all of the above.

A virtual library is a search engine that combines Internet technology with traditional library methods of cataloguing and assessing data. a) True b) False

A(n) __________ is a research aid that catalogues articles from a large number of scholarly journals. a) abstract b) biographical aid c) reference work d) academic database

Experts advise that you use Internet research to supplement, not to replace, library research. a) True b) False

As part of the research for his informative speech, Malik needs brief life and career facts about United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. The best kind of library reference source for him to consult would be a(n): a) periodical index. b) special dictionary. c) encyclopedia. d) biographical aid.

Like magazine and journal articles, most documents posted on the Internet have been subjected to close editorial review. a) True b) False

When taking research notes, it is important to distinguish among direct quotations, paraphrases, and your own ideas. a) True b) False

As your textbook explains, Wikipedia can be a good place to start your research, but you need to consult other sources in addition to Wikipedia. a) True b) False

As your textbook explains, you need to make sure that the statistics you use in your speeches come from reliable sources. a) True b) False

Examples are particularly effective as supporting materials because they help get the audience involved in a speech. a) True b) False

When using statistics in a speech, you should usually: a) manipulate the statistics to make your point. b) cite exact numbers rather than rounding off. c) increase your speaking rate when giving statistics. d) avoid using too many statistics.

Lucy wanted to know what percentage of students plan to attend graduate or professional schools after college, so she distributed a survey in three of her classes. Based on the results, Lucy concluded that nearly a third of college students plan to continue their education further. What is wrong with the way Lucy used the statistics from her survey? a) Lucy's sample isn't representative of college students as a whole. b) Lucy didn't use statistical measures correctly when presenting the results. c) Lucy rounded her results instead of presenting the exact numbers. d) all of the above

According to your textbook, a(n) __________ is an imaginary story that makes a general point. a) fable b) illustration c) simulated example d) hypothetical example

According to your textbook, when quoting an Internet document during a verbal speech, a speaker should usually identify the: a) full address of the Web site for the document. b) author or sponsoring organization responsible for the document. c) search engine used to find the document. d) all of the above.

How does the following excerpt from a classroom speech violate the guidelines for the use of statistics presented in your textbook? I discovered on the Internet that each year, for every 100,000 students living in college dormitories, there are 4 cases of bacterial meningitis. a) It doesn't round off the statistics. b) It doesn't state the statistics clearly. c) It doesn't cite a qualified source for the statistics. d) all of the above

Quoting a statement in such a way as to distort its meaning by removing the statement from the words and phrases surrounding it is called paraphrasing. a) True b) False

Research indicates that the impact of examples is greatly enhanced when they are combined with __________ that show(s) the examples to be typical. a) analogies b) causal reasoning c) emotional appeals d) statistics

The method of speech organization in which the main points follow a time pattern. a) spatial order b) causal order c) chronological order d) topical order

A method of speech organization in which the main points divide the topic into logical and consistent subtopics. a) spatial order b) causal order c) chronological order d) topical order

A method of speech organization in which the main points show a cause-effect relationship. a) spatial order b) causal order c) chronological order d) topical order

A method of speech organization in which the main points follow a directional pattern. a) spatial order b) causal order c) chronological order d) topical order

A hypothetical example describes an imaginary or fictitious situation. a) True b) False

Alisha began the introduction of her speech by saying: Have you ever been knocked down so hard by life that you didn't feel you'd ever get back up? This has happened to me many times, the first being when I tried to ride a bicycle when I was very young. Today I want to discuss with you some basic strategies for coping with life's challenges. What kind of supporting material did Alisha use in her introduction? a) expert testimony b) brief example c) metaphor d) hypothetical example

The two basic types of supporting materials discussed in your textbook are facts and opinions. a) True b) False

Research has shown that the more statistics you use, the more effective your speech is likely to be. a) True b) False

According to your textbook, persuasive speakers have an ethical obligation to a) make sure their goals are ethically sound. b) learn about all sides of an issue. c) present their evidence fairly and accurately. d) all of the above.

As your textbook explains, speakers who give persuasive speeches seeking immediate action should make their call for action as general as possible. a) True b) False

Moving listeners from being strongly opposed to a speaker's position to being only moderately opposed would be a sign of a successful persuasive speech. a) True b) False

Your success in a persuasive speech will usually depend on how well you adapt to the attitudes, beliefs, and values of your audience. a) True b) False

A persuasive speech on a question of fact is essentially the same as an informative speech. a) True b) False

Education and status are the most important factors affecting a speaker's credibility. a) True b) False

A speaker's credibility can change during the course of her or his speech. a) True b) False

What error in reasoning is exemplified by the following statement? French movies are all dull. I saw three of them last semester in my film class and couldn't stay awake through a single one. a) bandwagon b) hasty generalization c) ad hominem d) slippery slope e) red herring

According to your textbook, the following statement is an example of what type of fallacy? Everyone runs red lights when they're in a hurry, so there's no reason I shouldn't do it, too. a) bandwagon b) hasty generalization c) ad hominem d) slippery slope e) red herring

According to your textbook, the following statement is an example of what type of fallacy? How can we be so concerned about shielding children in the U.S. from Internet pornography when millions of children around the world continue to be sold into slavery every year? a) bandwagon b) hasty generalization c) ad hominem d) slippery slope e) red herring

According to your textbook, the following statement is an example of what type of fallacy? What does the mayor know about cutting down on crime? After all, he was accused of shoplifting when he was in college. a) bandwagon b) hasty generalization c) ad hominem d) slippery slope e) red herring

According to your textbook, the following statement is an example of what type of fallacy? Instituting a national sales tax must be a bad idea. Polls show that 66 percent of Americans oppose it. a) bandwagon b) hasty generalization c) ad hominem d) slippery slope e) red herring

According to your textbook, the following statement is an example of what type of fallacy? Of course I have a plan to reduce our dependency on foreign oil. But how can we worry about foreign oil when millions of Americans are out of work? a) bandwagon b) hasty generalization c) ad hominem d) slippery slope e) red herring

Choose the best thesis statement that goes along with the following purpose statement: The purpose of my speech is encourage my audience to eat at home more than they eat out. a) I believe cooking at home is better than eating out because it improves your health, finances, and family time. b) I believe cooking at home is better than eating out and today I will talk about ways to save money when doing this, how to freeze your meals, and why you should start a supper club.

True or False: The following purpose statement be appropriate to give in for this public speaking class. The purpose of my speech is to persuade the audience that child abuse is wrong. a) True b) False

True or False: The following purpose statement be appropriate to give in for this public speaking class. The purpose of my speech is to persuade my audience to donate blood at the blood drive being held on campus next week. a) True b) False

True or False: The following purpose statement be appropriate to give in for this public speaking class. The purpose of my speech is to persuade the members of the audience to get a Facebook account if they don't already have one. a) True b) False

True or False: The following purpose statement be appropriate to give in for this public speaking class. The purpose of my speech is to persuade my listeners to donate their hair to Locks of Love. a) True b) False

True or False: The following purpose statement be appropriate to give in for this public speaking class. The purpose of my speech is to persuade my audience to visit the Dominican Republic. a) True b) False

True or False: The following purpose statement be appropriate to give in for this public speaking class. The purpose of my speech is to convince my audience that they need to stop allowing their children to watch so much TV. a) True b) False

True or False: The following purpose statement be appropriate to give in for this public speaking class. The purpose of my speech is to persuade the audience that they should go to college. a) True b) False

Choose the best thesis statement that goes along with the following purpose statement: The purpose of my speech is to persuade my audience to eliminate sodas entirely from their family's lives. a) I believe we and our families should stop consuming sodas because 1) sodas are full of potentially fatal toxins, 2) our bodies are deprived of essential nutrients when we drink just one can of soda, and 3) you could lose weight by abstaining from sodas. b) Today I will persuade you about the toxins that are found in sodas, what we can drink instead of sodas, and how much exercise you must complete to get rid of the calories found in one can of soda.

True or False: The following purpose statement be appropriate to give in for this public speaking class. The purpose of my speech is to persuade the audience that there is intelligent life beyond Earth (i.e., aliens could exist). a) True b) False

Choose the best thesis statement that goes along with the following purpose statement: The purpose of my speech is to persuade people to buy their food as locally as possible. a) Today I'm going to tell you about why you should buy your food locally, share some tips and tricks about when to buy the cheapest produce, and talk about why buying local is not always the most expensive option. b) By purchasing food locally, we know more about the foods we buy, we drastically reduce the effects that buying outside the local area plays on the environment, and we also strengthen our local economy.

Choose the best thesis statement that goes along with the following purpose statement: The purpose of my speech is to persuade my audience that children should learn another language in elementary school. a) The three reasons why children should learn another language are (1) it is easier to learn at a young age, (2) they can learn another culture, and (3) they would have an advantage in the future. b) The three things I would like to discuss are (1) the ways children learn, (2) the cultural impact that learning can have on children, and (3) the easiest languages to learn.