Deck 3: B: Communication and Culture

Question 1

Grammatical rules that dictate how words should be pronounced are referred to as

A) syntactical rules.
B) phonetic rules.
C) phonological rules.
D) articulation rules.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Technical language that is specific to members of a particular profession, interest group, or hobby is referred to as

A) euphemism.
B) slang.
C) jargon.
D) abstraction.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Using abstract words that have unclear or misleading definitions to get out of an uncomfortable situation is referred to as

A) euphemizing.
B) equivocation.
C) evasion.
D) imagining.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Jane says her cousin is "big boned," instead of saying she's overweight, obese, or fat, because she understands those other terms might have insulting connotations. What type of language abstraction is Jane using?

A) jargon
B) euphemism
C) equivocation
D) evasion

Question 5

The consistently accepted definition of a word is referred to as its

A) denotative meaning.
B) connotative meaning.
C) encoded meaning.
D) cognitive language.

Question 6

Andy compliments his mother's new hairstyle just before he asks her if she can loan him some money for the weekend, hoping that this will put her in a good mood and improve his chances of getting the loan. His compliment is serving which functional communication competency?

A) feeling
B) ritualizing
C) informing
D) control

Question 7

What term refers to a form of accommodation in which a communicator changes his or her regular language and slang to fit into a particular group?

A) political correctness
B) hedging
C) qualifying
D) code switching

Question 8

The relationship between symbols, objects, people, and concepts and the meaning that words have for people, either because of their definitions or their placement in a sentence, defines which of the following terms?

A) pragmatics
B) labeling
C) semantics
D) abstraction

Question 9

____________ is the system of symbols (words) we use to think about and communicate experiences and feelings.

A) Denotative code
B) Connotative code
C) Language
D) Body language

Question 10

In which of the following contexts would you be most likely to use high language?

A) You meet your friends for coffee at Dunkin' Donuts.
B) You interview for an internship at an advertising agency.
C) You run into your best friend's mom at the mall.
D) You meet for a study session with friends from your sociology class.

Question 11

When Joe's roommate asks if Joe would bring his cat home after the winter holidays, Joe remembers how his aunt's house smelled like a soiled litter box and that there was cat hair all over the furniture. Joe feels a great sense of reluctance. His response is related to what kind of meaning for cat?

A) denotative meaning
B) connotative meaning
C) encoded meaning
D) cognitive language

Question 12

Over dinner Ashleigh tells her family a hilarious story about how she and her bestie photobombed a couple trying to take a selfie in the food court at the mall. Her sister laughs and shouts "you're cray!" While the girls laugh, their parents stare blankly. The parents are most likely confused by the girls' use of which language form?

A) jargon
B) slang
C) euphemism
D) equivocation

Question 13

The theory that holds that the words a culture uses (or doesn't use) influence the thinking of people from that culture is

A) linguistic anthropology.
B) high-context culture.
C) Sapir-Whorf hypothesis.
D) political correctness.
Answer Key