Deck 4: Verbal Messages

Question 1

Ancient Greeks saw successful communication as a combination of three components of verbal communication.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Effective messages strike a balance between not enough and too much information.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

By changing the subject during a difficult conversation, the one speaking is violating the principle that messages should retain clarity.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

According to social penetration theory, after the first stage--the exploratory-affective stage--relationships move into the second stage, which is called the affective stage.

Question 5

Berger and Calabrese's theory claims that we are motivated to reduce uncertainty in our world and therefore strive to understand or predict other people's attitudes and behaviors.

Question 6

In order to convince his boss to use a new vendor, Simeon has compiled information regarding costs, schedules, and additional services offered. Simeon is using an argument based on:

A) logos.
B) ethos.
C) pathos.
D) idioms.

Question 7

Defamation that is recorded in some permanent form, such as in writing, is termed:

A) symbolic.
B) pathos.
C) slander.
D) libel.

Question 8

Olivia sent an email to her mother, but her grammar and spelling was so bad that her mother had trouble deciphering what Olivia was trying to say. Which characteristic of language did Olivia violate?

A) Language is symbolic.
B) Language is rule-based.
C) Language can change or evolve.
D) Language varies by culture or context.

Question 9

If you tell a friend that you are busy because "I bit off more than I can chew," you are using:

A) an idiom.
B) dialect.
C) logos.
D) ethos.

Question 10

Skye, an editor, has asked her assistant to review some text to make sure that the art hasn't fallen into the gutter, the leading is consistent, and the text and photos don't crash. Skye is using:

A) slang.
B) colloquialisms.
C) jargon.
D) euphemisms.

Question 11

"Sick" means "affected with disease or ill health."
This is:

A) an idiom.
B) a connotative meaning.
C) a denotative meaning.
D) jargon.

Question 12

Which of the following is an example of the theory of linguistic relativity?

A) A girl and her grandmother have a misunderstanding because they are using the same words in different ways.
B) An American has trouble communicating what she needs while visiting Paris because she is not fluent in French.
C) A child cries and uses other expressions of emotion to get his way with his parents, but he uses logical arguments to appeal to his teacher.
D) The Japanese language has many words for the English "I/me" and "you" that reflect the hierarchy of the participants in the conversation.

Question 13

Anaya warned all of her friends about a man who was stalking women on campus. She read about the stalker on Facebook, and the story turned out to be a hoax. Which expectation regarding effective messages did Anaya violate?

A) Messages should balance quantity.
B) Messages should possess quality.
C) Messages should relate directly.
D) Messages should retain clarity.

Question 14

While talking to her new friend Philippe about their childhoods, Cora reveals that she was very sick as a child and spent a lot of time in the hospital. This is an example of:

A) the orientation stage.
B) self-disclosure.
C) depenetration.
D) uncertainty reduction.

Question 15

After a year of friendship, Parker told her friend Stella her most closely-held secret, one she had shared with very few people in her life. Parker and Stella's relationship has reached the _______ stage.

A) exploratory-affective
B) affective
C) stable
D) depenetration

Question 16

Which of the following may be a clue that one of your relationships is approaching depenetration?

A) You find out from a mutual acquaintance that your best friend broke up with his girlfriend three days ago.
B) Your roommate reveals to you why he and his father aren't currently on speaking terms.
C) Your new coworker asks you about the work habits of the people on his team as he tries to get a feel for the roles of everyone in the office.
D) The classmate you have been sitting beside all semester tells you what she thinks about the recent election results.

Question 17

According to the _______, we strive to reduce discomfort by gaining information about others in order to be able to predict how our interactions with them will go.

A) social penetration theory
B) uncertainty reduction theory
C) message construction theory
D) fundamental message rules

Question 18

A woman who wears ripped jeans and a t-shirt to her job in an office where suits are expected would be considered:

A) ethnocentric.
B) part of a subculture.
C) in depenetration stage.
D) deviant.

Question 19

Consider the basic expectations of messages given in the text (quantity, quality, relevance, clarity). What are some ineffective messages you have received, and which of these rules did they break? How could these messages have been improved upon?

Question 20

How have you and people you know been trying to reduce uncertainty in interactions with others, according to the uncertainty reduction theory? Are there some situations where the discomfort of uncertainty is greater than in others? Give some examples and explain.