Deck 1: Communication

Question 1

The capacity of news media to select some aspects of a story that promote a particular problem definition, causal interpretation, moral evaluation, and/or treatment recommendation is known as media:

A)Agenda Setting
B)Cultivation
C)Framing
D)Priming

Answer 1

Framing

Question 2

Which of the following daily newspapers is published in the United Kingdom?

A)The Independent
B)Time Out
C)The Daily Herald
D)The Observer

Answer 2

The Independent

Question 3

Which of the following policies, which mandated that media broadcasters present a diversity of perspectives on contentious or controversial subjects in order to prevent domination by a single viewpoint, was repealed by the U.S. Congress in 1987?

A)The Communications Decency Act
B)The Equal Time Rule
C)The Media Bias Rule
D)The Fairness Doctrine

Answer 3

The Fairness Doctrine

Question 4

Weber Shandwick, Fleishman-Hillard, Hill and Knowlton, and Ketchum, Inc. are among the largest U.S.-based:

A)Newspaper Chains
B)Media Conglomerates
C)Public Relations Agencies
D)Media-Research Firms

Question 5

Which of the following entities operates independently of the State Department and reports directly to Congress?

A)Educational and Cultural Affairs Bureau
B)Public Affairs Bureau
C)International Information Programs Bureau
D)The Broadcasting Board of Governors

Question 6

The U.S. Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948, popularly known as the Smith-Mundt Act, prohibits the U.S. government from:

A)allocating domestic broadcast spectrum to international broadcasting platforms sponsored by foreign governments.
B)participating in cultural or educational exchange programs with governments that are not signatories of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights
C)disseminating information intended for foreign audiences within the U.S. borders
D)intentionally releasing false or misleading information to foreign audiences

Question 7

U.S. citizens are unlikely to be able to listen to or read U.S. public diplomacy outreach materials because of which of the following acts of Congress?

A)Fulbright-Hayes
B)McCain-Feingold
C)Percy-Abzug
D)Smith-Mundt

Question 8

Which of the following entities/programs is an official organ of U.S. government public diplomacy efforts?

A)The Edward R. Murrow Center of Public Diplomacy
B)The National Endowment for Democracy
C)The International Visitors Program
D)Business for Diplomatic Action

Question 9

In the 1960s and '70s, writers such as Tom Wolfe, Gay Talese, and Joan Didion often wrote from the point of view of their sources, one of the techniques that defined a form of reporting known as:

A)Civic Journalism
B)Investigative reporting
C)muckraking
D)new journalism

Question 10

Which of the following terms is commonly used to reflect the contribution that the attractiveness of a nation's culture and values can make to its international standing?

A)National branding
B)The CNN effect
C)Psychological operations
D)Soft power

Question 11

Relationships between the U.S. and the country of Lapatria are at an all-time low. In order to best engage with the local press, the embassy spokesperson should

A)avoid face-to-face contact with the press until diplomatic relations stabilize
B)invite influential journalists to the embassy for one-on-one interviews to explain the U.S. position
C)hold a press conference to explain the U.S. position on the tensions
D)set up a Web page explaining the U.S. position on the matter

Question 12

A series of editorials appear in the Lapatrian press condemning the lack of donor aid from the U.S. government. To counter these criticisms most effectively, a Foreign Service Officer would:

A)lobby for the expansion of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) support for development in Lapatria
B)publish booklets and disseminate press releases that stress the importance of private as well as public U.S. philanthropic activities in Lapatria
C)host a press conference denouncing the criticisms as unjust
D)contact the State Department home office regarding the expansion of donor aid to Lapatria

Question 13

Which of the following international broadcasting services, directed to audiences in the Middle East region, is funded by the U.S. government?

A)Al Jazeera
B)Al-Arabiya
C)Radio Farda
D)Radio Dijla

Question 14

Public diplomacy, as defined by the Department of State, differs from propaganda in that public diplomacy

A)carefully avoids controversial issues
B)must always be based on facts and the truth
C)often clashes with U.S. foreign policy interests
D)is conducted exclusively by private citizens

Question 15

As part of U.S. public diplomacy outreach efforts, the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs brings non-U.S. citizens to the U.S. for graduate study in which of the following programs?

A)The Herbert Hoover Fellows Program
B)Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowships Program
C)The Henry M. Catto Fellowships
D)The E. Eugene Pell Fellows Program

Question 16

Journalists in Lapatria are notoriously biased and do not adhere to the internationally recognized standards of professional journalism. Which of the following strategies would be the best way for a Foreign Service Officer to best engage the local journalism community?

A)Create an exchange program for Lapatrian and U.S. journalists
B)Invite established U.S. academics and journalists to Lapatria to hold a journalism-training workshop
C)Invite the most influential Lapatrian journalists to help design and implement a training program on the international standards of professional journalism
D)Publish booklets about best journalistic practices and distribute them to Lapatrian journalists

Question 17

Three American military officers stationed in Lapatria are accused of accidentally killing a Lapatrian civilian, whom they mistakenly believed to be an enemy combatant. The Lapatrian press reports that the death was no accident and a widespread public outcry against the presence of American military forces ensues. In order to best manage this crisis, a Foreign Service Officer stationed in Lapatria would first:

A)create a centralized response team responsible for formulating all public embassy statements and information about the crisis
B)establish a flexible decentralized emergency response network among embassy staff members
C)compile a comprehensive report documenting that the incident was indeed an accident and then release it to the press
D)set up a press conference with influential Lapatrian journalists

Question 18

Which of the following web-based publications was developed by the Los Angeles Times as an experiment in letting its readers rewrite and edit editorials?

A)The People's Page
B)The People's Times
C)Wikipedia
D)Wikitorial

Question 19

Which of the following is a database that contains current and past news stories?

A)Google
B)Lexis Nexis
C)Alta Vista
D)Wikipedia

Question 20

Effective downward communications within an organization or company can include all of the following except:

A)delivering copies of job descriptions to all employees
B)provide regular opportunities for employees to provide supervisors with status updates
C)regularly scheduled staff meetings where management shares goals and achievements
D)employee performance reviews conducted annually or more frequently

Question 21

If an organization's communications department creates a press release, the inverted pyramid style of writing may be preferred since:

A)it provides readers with understanding even if they stop reading before learning all the details
B)it provides a clear presentation of each of the main points with all supporting details provided with the related point
C)it uses an easy to understand verbiage free from specialty or industry specific terminology that readers might not understand
D)offers a short synopsis of main points with little detail

Question 22

When writing an optimized press release, a communications writer must focus on which of the following to obtain maximum viewing?

A)Easy to understand terminology
B)Submission to multiple news outlets
C)Keywords to obtain high rankings on search engines
D)Release with a short period to reach readers quickly

Question 23

When an audience is receiving a message they go through four stages: awareness, comprehension, conviction, and commitment. Which of these stages involves the audience matching their own interests and views with the information being offered?

A)awareness
B)comprehension
C)conviction
D)commitment

Question 24

When communicating face-to-face, negativity is often apparent when a participant:

A)leans forward in his chair
B)crosses his legs
C)crosses his arms across his chest
D)rests his chin on his hand

Question 25

When conducting a media interview or making a statement to a member of the media, the phrase "not for attribution" generally implies:

A)the reporter can use the information, but cannot quote the source directly
B)the reporter can use the information to help gain perspective, but cannot use the information in publication
C)the reporter has full use of the information, but must credit the source
D)the reporter may use the information and credit the source, but only if verified by a second, independent source

Question 26

When considering the exact wording of a speech that you are writing, the most important consideration given should be to:

A)using high level vocabulary that indicates your educational achievement
B)avoiding words that must be explained or defined
C)using effective vocabulary that clearly communicates your message
D)limit or avoid the use of highly technical terms

Question 27

If you have been asked to give a presentation to an audience of co-workers, a good strategy to keep the audience engaged is:

A)to avoid the use of related visuals such as charts or pictures which might distract from the presentation
B)provide handouts to guide the audience through the presentation
C)avoid contact with specific members of the audience, focusing on a point at the rear of the room
D)using all strategies stated above

Question 28

When communicating information, employers will most likely be successful in capturing employee attention by:

A)enclosing the information in paycheck or pay stub envelopes
B)printing the information in a company newsletter or regular publication
C)presenting information at brief staff meetings
D)posting information on break area bulletin boards

Question 29

In order to convince your audience to support your proposed changes to the organization's structure, any speech to them must be of what type?

A)informative
B)persuasive
C)entertaining
D)impromptu

Question 30

You are giving a news brief to the media on your organization's response to a crisis situation that has emerged. One way to avoid miscommunication is to:

A)use as many words a possible
B)use abstract terms to avoid being committal
C)define relative words
D)use acronyms instead of entire organizational names

Question 31

Considering that some experts believe more than one half of the emotional meaning of a message comes from non-verbal communication, an important consideration in delivering a speech to an audience is:

A)avoiding overdressing for the occasion
B)keeping your voice low to avoid the impression of yelling
C)choice of vocabulary
D)culturally significant gestures

Question 32

If your organization is hosting a charitable fundraising event and wants to increase attendance and participation, you might partner with local media to produce:

A)a press release
B)an advance story
C)a blind interview
D)a style guide

Question 33

If your organization's spokesperson announces media availability for the following day at 10:00 AM, that generally means:

A)the company will be holding a news conference at that time
B)a press release will be available at that time
C)the spokesperson will be available for questions at that time
D)the spokesperson will be appearing on television at that time

Question 34

When considering potential sources of information to use in printed or verbal communication, you should consider FOI laws which:

A)give public access to government information
B)allow defamation lawsuits against individuals and entities
C)require verification of facts before publication
D)govern publication on the internet

Question 35

After communicating with an employee via email memo regarding project goals, you discover that the employee misinterpreted your expectations. You believe the channel was the problem and:

A)send a more detailed email to correct the miscommunication
B)schedule a meeting to discuss the miscommunication
C)reprimand the employee for disregarding your instructions
D)more closely supervise the project for the remaining duration

Question 36

Non-verbal communication plays a large part in effectively sending a message. When speaking to a group be sure to consider paralanguage factors such as:

A)your hand and body gestures
B)throat clearing and sighs
C)temperature and light
D)proximity to your audience

Question 37

If you are speaking to an audience of professionals in a highly specialized field and are using the manuscript style of delivery, it is very likely that:

A)your speech is impromptu in nature
B)you are trying to persuade the audience to support a change
C)someone else prepared or assisted in the preparation of your speech
D)this is material with which you are very comfortable

Question 38

As a group, a new project team at work has established several norms for the team. All of these might be examples of these except:

A)mandatory attendance at all meetings
B)a rotating chairperson role for meetings
C)regular email updates to all team members
D)management evaluation of group performance

Question 39

Understanding your target audience is a key to creating effective communication. We can better understand the target audience through demographics which identify primarily physical traits and psychographics which focus on people's:

A)group membership and affiliation
B)education and knowledge
C)beliefs and values
D)health

Question 40

A subordinate at work frequently demonstrates lack of professionalism in her clothing choices. What approach would be best for communicating the inappropriateness of her behavior?

A)Have a personal meeting and start with a soft entry, but then be straightforward
B)Sit her down and immediately explain the problem, mentioning other employees' comments
C)Send her an email with the company dress code attached
D)Request that a co-worker discuss the problem with her

Question 41

Neuro-Linguistic Programming or NLP is based on the theory that people's thought process is mirrored in how they speak. When having a conversation this idea can be used to communicate more effectively by:

A)mirroring the other person's tone and body language to create empathy
B)anticipating a person's responses and completing his sentences
C)immediately ending a conversation that has a negative tone
D)persuading the other person to accept your point of view

Question 42

When reprimanding an employee for behavior that you feel was inappropriate, you notice that she lifts her head and juts her chin forward, giving you the impression that she:

A)understands your concerns and is feeling remorse
B)does not agree with your concerns or respect your authority
C)is worried about your opinion of her
D)is interested in what you are saying and respects you

Question 43

You are giving a presentation to a small group of co-workers and notice that several of them are leaning forward in their chairs, causing you to infer that they:

A)are interested in your presentation
B)are ready to leave the meeting
C)disagree with your position
D)are not paying attention to the presentation

Question 44

You are preparing to give a speech at a convention that will last about 25 minutes. Your primary objective is to appear informed and for your audience to know that a great deal of planning went into your remarks. Which delivery style best accommodates this goal?

A)impromptu
B)memorized
C)extemporaneous
D)manuscript

Question 45

If a government agency offers a news release to a media outlet with an embargo attached, it is generally implied that:

A)it will not be released or published until the specified date
B)it will not be shared with other media outlets
C)the news release must be confirmed by another source before publication
D)the agency is simply passing on information from another source or agency

Question 46

Which of the following demonstrates the use of upward feedback within an organization?

A)A manager sends an employee a positive email about his hard work on a project
B)An employee evaluates his supervisor as part of the annual performance evaluation process
C)Employees spread information about a rumored pay raise to one another via email
D)All of the above are examples

Question 47

You are meeting with an employee to discuss her possible assignment to an established team for an upcoming project. She says that this would be okay with her. She is pulling at her ear and scratching the back of her head, giving you the impression that she:

A)is concerned about the change
B)is being honest with you
C)resents your authority
D)is angry about the proposed change

Question 48

When constructing an email, be sure to follow accepted etiquette and create a clear communication by avoiding all of the following except:

A)typing in all capital letters
B)only use widely accepted abbreviations
C)leaving the subject line blank
D)always place all recipients in the 'to' field

Question 49

When you send a message to an intended recipient, whether verbal, written, or non-verbal, how that recipient interprets the message is influenced by all of the following except:

A)context
B)decoding
C)channel
D)all of the above are influences

Question 50

Your organization's public relations representative gives an interview to a local newspaper with the understanding that the interview is "on the record". The PR representative has consented to:

A)full use of his comments and name in publication
B)full use of his comments in publication, but not his name
C)limited use of his comments with editorial rights and full use of his name
D)limited use of his comments with editorial rights, but no use of his name