Deck 4: Communicating Verbally

Question 1

Verbal symbols and grammar compose ______.

A) messages
B) ideas
C) gestures
D) language

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The words or the vocabulary that make up a language are referred to as ______.

A) gestures
B) verbal symbols
C) messages
D) denotation

Answer 2

B

Question 3

A language's set of rules that dictate how words should be organized is called ______.

A) grammar
B) semantics
C) messages
D) syntax

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The arrangement of thoughts into meaningful language with a specific message is referred to as ______.

A) decoding
B) encoding
C) rhetoric
D) semantics

Question 5

When we develop an understanding of someone's meaning based on hearing language, we are engaging in ______.

A) indexing
B) listening
C) encoding
D) decoding

Question 6

The fact that there is no direct relationship between words and their meanings means that symbols are ______.

A) cultural
B) concrete
C) arbitrary
D) abstract

Question 7

Over time, new trends and ideas lead to expansion or changes in our ______.

A) vocabulary
B) grammar
C) messages
D) language

Question 8

Which of these is an example of a portmanteau?

A) person of color
B) YOLO
C) brunch
D) trans-woman

Question 9

The word "frenemy" is best described as a(n)______.

A) portmanteau
B) emotional blend
C) arbitrary symbol
D) euphemism

Question 10

Certain words get their power to affect people dramatically from ______.

A) the rules created by an elite, academic class
B) an intrinsic source dictated by symbolic meaning
C) the agreement of speakers that those words are powerful
D) their etymological origins in ancient, dead languages

Question 11

A word's ______ is the type of meaning found in the dictionary.

A) denotative meaning
B) connotative meaning
C) referent
D) lexical gap

Question 12

______ is/are derived from your personal and subjective experience with a word or phrase, such as if you think of the word "sick" as meaning something good.

A) Semantics
B) Denotative meaning
C) Codability
D) Connotative meaning

Question 13

The thing that a word represents is known as its ______.

A) specific meaning
B) denotative meaning
C) referent
D) code

Question 14

If you are able to detect the referent with one of your senses, that word is considered ______.

A) abstract
B) concrete
C) connotative
D) denotative

Question 15

A referent that cannot be detected by bodily senses, such as love, is considered ______.

A) concrete
B) connotative
C) denotative
D) abstract

Question 16

A type of ambiguity that involves carefully choosing words to give a false impression without actually lying is called ______.

A) equivocation
B) strategic ambiguity
C) euphemism
D) vague communication

Question 17

______ affects verbal symbols (and vice versa) primarily through language development.

A) Social change
B) Economic change
C) Sex
D) Culture

Question 18

Language usage encodes ______.

A) denotative meaning
B) cultural values
C) strategic ambiguity
D) lexical gaps

Question 19

A group of people that shares norms about speaking and vocabulary is known as a ______.

A) cultural context
B) speech community
C) shared identity
D) message exchange

Question 20

With their rules on speaking, speech communities most closely resemble ______.

A) generational divides
B) political correctness
C) national or ethnic culture
D) the encoding process

Question 21

______ is a word or a phrase whose understood meaning doesn't come from exact translation.

A) Idiom
B) Colloquialism
C) Jargon
D) Portmanteau

Question 22

The phrase "kicked the bucket" is an example of a(n) ______.

A) colloquialism
B) portmanteau
C) idiom
D) connotation

Question 23

Which of the following is an example of phatic communication? Only in interpersonal contact do we use ______ or what is also known as idiomatic communication.

A) "Don't beat around the bush."
B) "Hey, what's up?"
C) "We're sorry for his passing."
D) "Thanks for thinking of me!"

Question 24

The fact that listeners are not supposed to think about literal meanings makes phatic communication ______.

A) connotative
B) denotative
C) euphemistic
D) content-free

Question 25

Which of these statements reflects common European American views of African American speech?

A) "African Americans tend to be more conflict avoidant."
B) "African Americans tend to speak more emotionally."
C) "African Americans tend to use more phatic communication."
D) "African Americans tend to choose euphemistic language."

Question 26

Which of these statements reflects common African American views of European American speech?

A) "European Americans tend to be more conflict avoidant."
B) "European Americans tend to speak more emotionally."
C) "European Americans tend to use more phatic communication."
D) "European Americans tend to choose euphemistic language."

Question 27

The theory known as ______, or the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, argues that words dictate our ability to perceive and think.

A) communication accommodation
B) linguistic relativity
C) muted group theory
D) linguistic determinism

Question 28

Benjamin Whorf's revised theory, ______, asserted that language affects our thinking but does not dictate it.

A) linguistic determinism
B) linguistic relativity
C) two-culture theory
D) communication accommodation

Question 29

Just because a language does not have a word for a concept does not mean its speakers cannot understand it, simply that the concept has low ______ in that language.

A) codability
B) concreteness
C) confirmation
D) indexability

Question 30

The ______ theory purports that sex, like culture, establishes different language patterns for men and women.

A) linguistic relativity
B) linguistic determinism
C) two-culture
D) muted group

Question 31

Which of these is a process related to the destructive side of verbal symbols?

A) perspective taking
B) phatic communication
C) strategic ambiguity
D) reification

Question 32

Which statement is an example of static evaluation?

A) "I don't care how old you are. I'm your father, and you listen to me."
B) "Changing the team mascot is a sacrilege to the history of the team."
C) "Ugh, I ate way too much Halloween candy. I feel so fat today."
D) "I can't stand that guy. He's selfish and never thinks of anyone else."

Question 33

When verbal symbols conceal change they exhibit ______.

A) polarization
B) reification
C) static evaluation
D) lexical gaps

Question 34

Even though Darryl is in his thirties, he still calls his former kindergarten teacher Mrs. Irvin, despite her urging him to call her Elaine. Darryl is exhibiting ______.

A) reification
B) muting
C) negative contagion
D) code switching

Question 35

Words that communicate topics in terms of extremes contribute to ______.

A) static evaluation
B) disconfirmation
C) reification
D) polarization

Question 36

Which statement is an example of polarization?

A) "I don't care how old you are. I'm your father, and you listen to me."
B) "Changing the team mascot is a sacrilege to the history of the team."
C) "Ugh, I ate way too much Halloween candy. I feel so fat today."
D) "I can't stand that guy. He's selfish and never thinks of anyone else."

Question 37

When someone confuses the symbol for the thing, they engage in ______.

A) negative contagion
B) reification
C) static evaluation
D) polarization

Question 38

Which statement is an example of reification?

A) "I don't care how old you are. I'm your father, and you listen to me."
B) "Changing the team mascot is a sacrilege to the history of the team."
C) "Ugh, I ate way too much Halloween candy. I feel so fat today."
D) "I can't stand that guy. He's selfish and never thinks of anyone else."

Question 39

If someone loses a parent, he or she is an orphan, but there is no word for a parent who loses a child. This represents ______.

A) semantic derogation
B) static evaluation
C) polarization
D) a lexical gap

Question 40

The ______ theory suggests that marginalized communities, such as the LGBTQ community, suffer from a lot of lexical gaps and therefore may feel as if something is wrong with them due to the lack of adequate vocabulary for their unique experiences.

A) two-culture
B) muted group
C) social learning
D) linguistic determinism

Question 41

If Bob calls Gloria a chick or a dame, his language can be construed as ______.

A) muting
B) homophobic
C) sexist
D) racist

Question 42

An old English grammar rule requires use of the masculine pronoun when the subject of the sentence is of unknown gender or includes both men and women. This rule is known as ______.

A) the generic he
B) sexist language
C) static evaluation
D) man-linked words

Question 43

Which of the following is an example of a man-linked word?

A) shepherd
B) steward
C) pilot
D) handyman

Question 44

The word "spokesman" is an example of ______.

A) the generic he
B) a man-linked word
C) a lexical gap
D) semantic derogation

Question 45

"He violated an important protocol, so we had to blacklist him," says Kimberly. Kimberly's statement subtly reflects ______.

A) polarization
B) negative contagion
C) racist language
D) muting

Question 46

The phrase "no homo," used to avoid giving the impression of homosexuality, is an example of ______.

A) homophobic language
B) sexist language
C) man-linked words
D) polarization

Question 47

Acknowledgment, or ______, is validation and support of another person.

A) active listening
B) confirmation
C) indexing
D) perspective taking

Question 48

Making people feel that you don't see them or that they are unimportant is called ______.

A) reification
B) polarization
C) disconfirmation
D) muting

Question 49

When you acknowledge the viewpoints of the people you interact with, you are engaging in ______.

A) perspective taking
B) reification
C) static evaluation
D) negative contagion

Question 50

"I should listen when Danica tells me about her experiences. I really have no idea what it's like to be a woman," says Jorge. Jorge is demonstrating ______.

A) using I-messages
B) indexing
C) owning
D) perspective taking

Question 51

When we take responsibility for our own thoughts and feelings, we engage in ______.

A) code switching
B) perspective taking
C) reification
D) owning

Question 52

Which of these statements is an example of using I-messages?

A) "I noticed that the other day, when you were reading, you acted a little rude."
B) "I have a completely different perspective than an African American."
C) "I felt ignored when you kept looking at your phone while I was talking."
D) "I think you are can be selfish sometimes, though usually you're mature."

Question 53

______ direct responsibility onto others, often in a blaming fashion.

A) I-messages
B) You-messages
C) Muting
D) Owning

Question 54

"Your lectures about anatomy are so boring," says Dayton. Dayton is using ______.

A) disconfirmation
B) indexing
C) reification
D) you-messages

Question 55

"I'm finding it hard to stay focused during lecture," says Tristan. Tristan is using ______.

A) I-messages
B) reification
C) confirmation
D) perspective taking

Question 56

I-messages help avoid making the listener defensive by ______.

A) focusing on the speaker's feelings
B) providing appropriate specificity
C) acknowledging the time frame
D) probing the middle ground

Question 57

"Right when you got home on Monday, you were a little terse with me. It hurt my feelings, but I know it was just an isolated incident," says Nolan. Nolan is engaging in ______.

A) indexing
B) owning
C) perspective taking
D) probing the middle ground

Question 58

Which of these statements is an example of indexing?

A) "I noticed that the other day, when you were reading, you acted a little rude."
B) "I have a completely different perspective than an African American."
C) "I felt ignored when you kept looking at your phone while I was talking."
D) "I think you are can be selfish sometimes, though you're usually mature."

Question 59

"It's easy to get mad if you reduce a person to one negative trait, but most people do not always behave badly," says Loretta. Loretta is engaging in ______.

A) indexing
B) probing the middle ground
C) owning
D) perspective taking

Question 60

Which of these statements is an example of probing the middle ground?

A) "I noticed that the other day, when you were reading, you acted a little rude."
B) "I have a completely different perspective than an African American."
C) "I felt ignored when you kept looking at your phone while I was talking."
D) "I think you are can be selfish sometimes, though you're usually mature."

Question 61

Words are symbolic.

Question 62

The meanings of verbal symbols remain consistent over time.

Question 63

Verbal symbols are powerful.

Question 64

The meanings of verbal symbols are consistent in specificity.

Question 65

Words are arbitrary.

Question 66

The direct translation of an idiom keeps its original meaning.

Question 67

Phatic communication is only used for interpersonal contact.

Question 68

Ethnic differences across sub-cultures are represented in language.

Question 69

A concept's codability in a certain language determines the ability of a speaker of that language to understand it.

Question 70

Polarization is problematic because all people are equally good.

Question 71

Reification involves responding to words rather than the words' referents.

Question 72

Fat talk refers to conversations among friends that begin by someone speaking derogatorily about overweight people.

Question 73

Some researchers say that expressions like "hitting a home run" show that English is shaped more by the experiences of men than women.

Question 74

The generic he is an example of sexism in the English language.

Question 75

Cultivating an attitude of respect for others can improve verbal communication skills.

Question 76

I-messages acknowledge others' positions.

Question 77

You-messages place responsibility, and sometimes blame, on others.

Question 78

The skillful use of levels of specificity is shown by being specific at all times.

Question 79

Exploring nuances that might be more descriptive of the behavior can help combat extreme labeling.

Question 80

The words perro (Spanish), kalb (Arabic), and inu (Japanese) all sound different yet share the meaning of "dog." Explain this phenomenon in terms of your understanding of verbal symbols.