Deck 8: Developing Your Speech

Question 1

The speaker's statement as to the behavioral change he or she wants from the audience is known as the

A) specific purpose.
B) general purpose.
C) blueprint.
D) central idea.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Adam saw a television program last night which gave him a topic idea for an upcoming speech. Is this ethically appropriate?

A) No; using televised information for your speech topic is a form of plagiarism.
B) No; most topics discussed on talk shows are inappropriate speech material.
C) Yes; getting ideas from television programs is an option suggested in the text.
D) Yes, but you have to address the topic the same way the talk show did.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The general purpose of a persuasive speech is to

A) get members of an audience to relax and enjoy themselves.
B) change or reinforce an audience's beliefs andor urge action.
C) define, describe, or explain something.
D) demonstrate how something works or is made.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

When choosing a speech topic, you should consider

A) your audience, yourself, and the occasion.
B) your audience and potential future audiences.
C) only yourself and your personal interests.
D) your instructor and which topic would get you the highest grade.

Question 5

When selecting a speech topic, the audience is an equally important factor as the interests or knowledge of the speaker.

Question 6

Your brain is fried, and you just cannot come up with a creative topic for an assigned speech. As a last resort, you fire up your computer and search the Web looking for something to spark your interest.Isthis advisable, according to your textbook?

A) No; Web sources offer unreliable material, which doesn't make for a good topic.
B) Yes, but topics generated from Web sources take much longer to develop than others.
C) Yes; scanning Web directories may be an effective strategy to find a speech topic.
D) No; it is a form of plagiarism when you poach speech topics from sites on the Web.

Question 7

When wording the statement of your ________, use verbs that refer to observable or measurable behavior.

A) general purpose
B) central idea
C) specific purpose
D) blueprint

Question 8

Acomplete, declarative sentence that summarizes your speech is known as the

A) specific purpose.
B) general purpose.
C) central idea.
D) blueprint.

Question 9

An informative speech has been assigned, so Angel starts to worry about what he can possibly present to his class. That night he takes out a blank sheet of paper and just starts writing down every possibleidea for a speech topic that he can think of. What is Angel doing?

A) brainstorming
B) procrastinating
C) topic narrowing
D) searching

Question 10

During your speech, you ask the audience to sign a petition increasing the amount of student parking areas. The general goal of the speech is to

A) to persuade.
B) to entertain.
C) to castigate.
D) to inform.

Question 11

Malcolm is troubled by his attempts to find a topic for his persuasive speaking assignment. After thumbing through magazines and books to find a topic, Malcolm still can't come up with any decent ideas.Whenhe thinks of something, he immediately dismisses it saying, "That's a lousy topic; the audience will be bored." What technique should Malcolm utilize in this situation?

A) logical divisions
B) brainstorming
C) categorical development
D) piggybacking

Question 12

When you make a list of your own interests, and just begin writing as many topics related to these as you can think of without stopping to consider them, you are using a technique known as

A) natural topic selection.
B) brainstorming.
C) topic building.
D) futility.

Question 13

If a speaker says, "Tonight, I'm going to discuss with you two reasons why everyone should recycle, including cost-saving benefits and the problems waste creates in the environment," you should recognizethis as

A) a preview of main ideas.
B) a specific purpose statement.
C) an attention-getting device.
D) a general purpose statement.

Question 14

I'm going to talk about the sport of racquetball, including the history of the game, some of the basic equipment used when playing racquetball, and some of the health benefits derived from the sport.Thisisan example of

A) a blueprint statement.
B) a specific purpose.
C) an attention-getter.
D) a general purpose.

Question 15

When starting with a broad speech topic such as "basketball," it is necessary to narrow it down because

A) speeches on sports-related topics should be much briefer.
B) your audience may get bored with the topic unless they are interested in sports.
C) it will require less time to research.
D) it needs to fit within the time limits of your speech.

Question 16

What technique in selecting a speech topic will BEST motivate both your research and delivery?

A) choosing a topic of interest to you
B) choosing a topic of interest to the audience
C) choosing a topic no one else is using
D) choosing a simple, easy to research topic

Question 17

Searching for logical divisions in a subject is a strategy for

A) determining your general purpose.
B) determining your main ideas.
C) determining your specific purpose.
D) determining your blueprint.

Question 18

At the end of my speech, my audience will understand the basic principle of flight, is an example of a

A) general purpose.
B) blueprint.
C) specific purpose.
D) a central idea.

Question 19

The _____ of virtually any speech will be either to inform, to persuade, or to entertain.

A) general purpose
B) blueprint
C) central idea
D) specific purpose

Question 20

Aproperly worded central idea or thesis statement should

A) be a single sentence summarizing your speech.
B) be a paragraph, if necessary.
C) tell your audience what to do.
D) be a logical division of your specific purpose.

Question 21

The specific purpose is stated as part of the introduction to your speech.

Question 22

Brainstorming involves dividing your central idea into logical divisions.

Question 23

With a general purpose of "to inform," a speaker offers information to change or reinforce an audience's convictions.

Question 24

It's NOT a good idea to watch television or read books and magazines in search of a speech topic. Using these as a source of topics is a form of plagiarism.

Question 25

Specific purpose statements usually explain what the speaker will do during the speech, as in "During my speech, I will tell you what I know about golf."

Question 26

When combined with a central idea, a preview statement can form a "blueprint" of a speech.

Question 27

Many times, something you read when scanning a Web directory like Yahoo can generate a great idea for a speech topic.

Question 28

It is BEST to only consider the audience, rather than your own personal experience, when selecting a topic.

Question 29

Acentral idea can be worded as a phrase or a question.