Q&A Hero

Q: Men take up more personal space than women do. A) True B) False

Q: Intimate distance is considered to be between 18 inches and 4 feet. A) True B) False

Q: Meanings are in people, not in words. A) True B) False

Q: Abstract words suggest exactly what you mean. A) True B) False

Q: Misunderstanding can occur when unfamiliar jargon is used. A) True B) False

Q: Improper word choice occurs when a communicator uses a word that does not have the meaning that he or she intends to express. A) True B) False

Q: Verbal communication can be used to try to persuade a person to do something. A) True B) False

Q: In English, the primary order of a sentence is subject-object-verb. A) True B) False

Q: Pragmatic rules apply to the use of language to achieve goals. A) True B) False

Q: The symbol used to refer to a given concept will be similar from language community to language community. A) True B) False

Q: The same language can use different words to refer to the same idea. A) True B) False

Q: The connotative meaning is a word's exact, literal definition. A) True B) False

Q: Many words in modern English come from a multitude of languages, including Dutch, Spanish, Latin, Greek, or French. A) True B) False

Q: A goal of effective communication is the creation of shared meaning. A) True B) False

Q: Language is a perfect vehicle for understanding. A) True B) False

Q: When biased language intensely attacks individuals based on their membership in certain groups, it is sometimes referred to as __________. A) jargon B) verbal clutter C) hate speech D) equivocal language

Q: Which is an example of a gender-neutral term? A) Actress B) Chairman C) Cleaning lady D) Pilot

Q: One way to make your message considerate is to __________. A) include multiple references to stereotypes B) use gender-specific terminology whenever possible C) include references to ethnicity only when necessary D) leave out politically correct language

Q: Which strategy will help make sure that your verbal responses are respectful? A) Blame others for your feelings. B) Work for accurate understanding. C) Respond defensively. D) Use gender-specific terminology.

Q: To be considered a language, a standardized use of words must be shared by a large community of persons that transcends national boundaries. A) True B) False

Q: Language is rule based. A) True B) False

Q: Semantic rules regulate the order in which words are organized into sentences. A) True B) False

Q: Words have a precise meaning that is understood by everyone. A) True B) False

Q: I am sorry that I am late is an example of how language is used to __________. A) accomplish actions B) imagine C) influence others D) sharing information

Q: If you're good, I'll take you and your friends to the amusement park this weekend. This statement is an example of a __________. A) demand B) threat C) compliment D) promise

Q: Which of the following is an example of an immutable characteristic? A) Hair color B) Race C) Car type D) Office location

Q: The denotative meaning of the phrase "he's a snake" is___________. A) he is a slithering reptile B) he is someone who cannot be trusted C) he is a dangerous person D) he is not what he seems to be

Q: Jamal drove his car to pick up his four-year-old daughter, Addison, from school. As they were leaving the school, Jamal smiled at Addison and said, We are rolling, Addison! What is the connotative meaning of Jamal's message? A) We are turning over and over. B) We are leaving the school. C) We are going to the store. D) Have a good day.

Q: Which of the following is NOT a reason that languages change? A) No two people acquire or use language in exactly the same way. B) New inventions and experiences require new words. C) Words or other features of one language community being adopted by another language community. D) Language is represented through arbitrary words that are symbolic.

Q: Words can have different meanings even when we understand the semantic sense in which they are being used because words are __________. A) concrete B) ambiguous C) denotative D) biased

Q: Which of the following statements is the MOST abstract? A) You earned a 96% in your communication class. B) I bought three boxes of crackers from the store. C) Most people like that. D) I rode my bike to campus.

Q: The O-ring malfunctioned is a sentence that might be misunderstood because it uses __________. A) abstract language B) jargon C) an improperly used word D) equivocal language

Q: One problem with the use of jargon is that it can be perceived as __________. A) oversimplified B) repetitive C) equivocal language D) exclusionary

Q: Why might the phrase please be more pacific when you speak be misunderstood? A) It uses abstract language. B) It contains jargon. C) It includes a word that is used improperly. D) It uses equivocal language.

Q: April was trying on a pair of shoes at the mall when Megan, a friend of her sister, saw her and stopped to say hello. The two girls always had a small rivalry going, so when Megan said to April, Those shoes are really going to make you stand out, April wasn't sure what to think. April may have misunderstood Megan's statement because it included __________. A) abstract language B) jargon C) an improperly used word D) equivocal language

Q: After installing a new piece of equipment at his print shop, Martin explained to his employees how to use it. Martin used language for which purpose? A) To persuade B) To share information C) To tell a story D) To express his feelings

Q: Vote for me, and I will make sure that you have access to health care is an example of how language is used to __________. A) accomplish actions B) imagine C) influence others D) sharing information

Q: While making a toast at a party celebrating her parents' fiftieth wedding anniversary, Sheila talked about how much she loved both of them and how proud they made her by staying together for so long. What did Sheila use language to do when making her toast? A) Express her feelings B) Influence the audience's beliefs C) Tell an imaginary story D) Encourage the audience to take action

Q: When rhetorician Walter Fisher referred to humans as homo narrans, he meant that people __________. A) use language primarily to share facts B) are storytelling beings C) actively change language by creating new words D) prefer conversation to silence

Q: Which statement about symbols is true? A) Symbols have an inherent connection to what they represent. B) Symbols have the same meaning across all languages. C) Symbols help us communicate efficiently. D) Ideas cannot be represented by more than one symbol.

Q: Words are___________, which means that they have no precise meaning that is understood by all.

Q: ___________ words are specific and suggest exactly what you mean.

Q: Specialized or technical words or phrases familiar to people in a specific group are called ___________.

Q: When a speaker uses word(s) with a range of meanings, he or she is using ___________ language.

Q: ___________ is the effort to influence people's beliefs, attitudes, or actions.

Q: ___________ language is the use of words that suggest prejudice or preconceptions about a group of people based on shared characteristics.

Q: ___________ is a feeling marked by an intense physiological fight-or-flight response.

Q: ___________ language means using the fewest words necessary to express an idea.

Q: Verbal ___________ refers to extraneous words that make it hard for others to follow your message.

Q: A___________ term is a word that avoids indicating whether the person being referenced is male or female.

Q: Semantic rules govern __________. A) the order in which words are organized into sentences B) how we use language to accomplish actions C) the meaning of words D) how words are translated from one language to another

Q: What do syntactic rules regulate? A) How words are translated from one language to another B) The order in which words are organized into sentences C) How we use language to accomplish actions D) The meaning of words

Q: Bob let Russ borrow his green sweater. Which sentence conveys this information while following the syntactic rules of English? A) Russ borrowed Bob's green sweater. B) Bob's green sweater Russ borrowed. C) Borrowed Bob's green sweater Russ. D) Bob's green sweater borrowed Russ.

Q: Pragmatic rules apply to __________. A) the use of language to achieve goals B) the meaning of words C) the way words are translated from one language to another D) the order in which words are organized into sentences

Q: ___________ dependent means that the same word can have different meanings depending on the circumstances in which it is used.

Q: A(n) ______________ is a group that we don't feel a part of.

Q: When you consciously engage in ______________, you essentially talk to yourself.

Q: A(n) ______________ occurs when you expect a particular outcome to occur, which causes you to behave in a way that makes the outcome more likely.

Q: ______________ is the intentional revelation of important information about ourselves that others are not likely to know.

Q: ______________ is the ability to understand your own and others' emotions.

Q: ______________ is a communication strategy people use when they hope to be liked.

Q: When an individual wishes to demonstrate helplessness or dependence on others, he or she uses the communication strategy called ______________.

Q: Mental associations come from a variety of sources. Define four sources, and discuss each in detail.

Q: Online identity management plays an important role in perception. What are some of the challenges with how people are represented on social media? Discuss two areas in which online identity management may be challenging.

Q: The words we use to communicate are___________, meaning that the words are used arbitrarily to represent something else.

Q: ___________ refers to words or other features of one language community being adopted by another language community.

Q: When your mind triggers inferences about a new person based solely on traits he or she shares with someone you know, ______________ occurs.

Q: ______________ is a conscious, three-step process that allows you to ask other people about their intentions in a nonthreatening way.

Q: Your ______________ includes all your perceptions of yourself, such as abilities, accomplishments, personality, preferences, and characteristics.

Q: Your evaluation of the person you visualize when you describe yourself is your ______________.

Q: ______________ are the feedback we receive about ourselves from others.

Q: When you are feeling down on yourself, a good way to improve your outlook is to view the situation from a different perspective. A) True B) False

Q: Your private self represents the self that you portray to other people. A) True B) False

Q: The process by which people present information about themselves in order to appear as they wish others to perceive them is known as identity management or impression management. A) True B) False

Q: Supplication involves the user trying to convince others that he or she is dangerous by using threats or other statements that cause discomfort. A) True B) False

Q: Editing profiles, uploading pictures, joining groups, and announcing what we're up to on social media are forms of online identity management. A) True B) False

Q: ______________ refers to the process by which we come to understand the stimuli in our world.

Q: ______________ information is the information we receive through our senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, or touch.

Q: ______________ is the process of making judgments about others, deciding what they are like, predicting what they will do, [and] providing explanations for their behavior.

Q: During the correction process, we consider the input we've taken in and apply logic to make a more reasoned judgment about others' behavior. A) True B) False